Sad Beautiful Tragic
by D. Jones123
Summary: Anastasia Rogue witnessed the killing of an innocent man, and now the people that killed him know she saw. They want her dead. But not if Oliver has anything to say about it...or The Hood that is. First FanFic ever, be forewarned. Rating changed to M for adult themes and sexual content.
1. Episode 1: Pilot

**A/N:** Okay, I don't really know where I'm going with this….exactly. But I'm going to try and make this interesting. If you like the first chapter and you have any ideas of where it could go or where you think it should go, please PM me or review! Thanks!

_**Episode 1: Pilot**_

4 years earlier…

"_You know, most people need sleep" Bernie said, sarcastically. _

"_You know," Anna said, swiveling her chair to steal a glance. "Most people aren't me." Bernie smirked and grabbed his jacket from the coat rack. "I'll see you tomorrow" he nodded, turning for the door. _

"_See you tomorrow" Anna said, turning back to her desk, littered with papers. She sighed ruefully and looked at the clock. She was the only one left in the office. _

_Everyone else had gone home hours ago and the only other person that stayed late had just left. She leaned on her elbows and decided to go home after all. She stood and went to the coat rack by the door. After she pulled on her jacket and zipped it up to her collar bone, she turned out the lights and left the office. _

_She locked the doors, and then slid the keys into her pocket as she started down the sidewalk. It was a cold night in Starling City. As usual the lights were bright and her breath was fogged and she could hear the echoes of music. Then suddenly she felt a quick breeze on her cheek, she saw a green blur, and found herself on the ground. _

_She heard weird noises coming from somewhere to her right and she felt warmth trickling down her cheek. She stood and saw an ally way to her right—where the sounds were coming from. Anna wasn't like most people. Most people would turn and walk the other way, but Anna started into the ally. She got to the end, where it turned into another ally running left and right. _

_To the left was a horrific scene: two men stood whilst one was on his knees, and the two held a gun pointed at the one knelt. Anna quickly hid against the wall where they couldn't see her and peeked around the corner. "Please…please, I'm begging you!" the man on his knees pleaded. "I have a daughter that needs me! A wife! Please! I'll get you your money, I promise!" _

_The gunman just chuckled and then Anna's worst fear happened…they pulled the trigger. The shot rang out in the ally way and Anna jumped, blinking hard. She realized what she had just witnessed and quietly turned her back to the scene, running back through the ally to the road. _

Present day…

"I know, I know…I'm in the elevator right now…yeah, I'll be there in like five minutes…oh look the doors are open. I gotta go" Anna hung up her cell phone and shoved it into her pocket. She left the elevator and went down the hallway to a door marked 567. She knocked three times and a second later the door swung open, revealing a wide-smiling brunette. "Finally! You only have an hour to dress" the girl said, pulling Anna into the room.

Anna didn't personally know the girl but she knew the perky brunette was one of her sister's bridesmaids. The girl pulled Anna to the bed where a yellow dress lay out that was identical to the dress the brunette wore. Anna looked around the room and noticed several other girls of varying hair colors wearing more yellow dresses in the bathroom fighting for the mirror.

Anna sighed and grabbed the dress off the bed, walking into the closet nearest her. She changed as best she could in the close courters then went to the bathroom to find an open corner of the mirror. Her sister Sophia was getting married to her boyfriend of five years, David, and Anna didn't want to miss it because of stupid girls hogging the mirror. "Hey, girls, either move out of the way or I make you move" Anna said, in a very calm yet raised voice.

The girls turned and eyed her. They crossed their arms in unison and tilted their heads with attitude. "And who are you?" a blonde on the right asked.

"Sister of the bride, maid of honor, you know…one of the most important people at this shindig. _Move_" Anna said. They hesitantly moved a path and Anna wriggled through to the mirror. After thirty minutes of trying to get her make-up right, Anna finally made it out of the hotel room. She made her way down the hallway to the elevator and when the doors opened she stepped inside.

The doors began to close and she heard, "Hold the door!" just before a man stopped the doors from closing with his hand. He wore a tuxedo and was very handsome with short blonde hair. Anna didn't recognize him in the slightest. He smiled as he wiggled between the doors and pressed the Lobby button. Anna felt the bobby pins that held her braided bun in place anxiously. "Here for the wedding?" the man asked suddenly.

"Uh, yeah. My sister's the bride" she replied, with a casual smile.

"Really? You must be Anastasia then. I've heard a lot about you" he said, turning to her and holding out a hand. She shook his hand. "That's me," she said. "And you are?"

"Oliver Queen. I'm one of David Hough's friends" he said. Anna nodded in understanding and turned back toward the elevator doors. The doors opened and she quickly exited. She was immediately thrown into the sea of people heading into the ballroom. She wriggled through the crowd until she was in the ballroom.

After the service was over everyone hastily left the ballroom and headed for the hotel exit. And from there everyone would catch a taxi and go to the reception at a restaurant up the street. Everyone had just filed into the lobby of the hotel when glass shattered and shots were fired. People started screaming and rushing the exit.

Anna went with the crowd but was pulled back by her arm. A hand covered her mouth so screaming for help was out of the question. Her captor dragged her up several flights of stairs to the roof and out toward the other side. They stopped moving and an arrow appeared, lodged in the gravel of the roof a foot next to her captor. He swung her around with him and she saw him. Clad in green leather, a bow drawn in hand, and a leather-looking mask covering his face.

Anna started slightly hyperventilating. "No matter what you do to me, this girl will die, hood!" the man behind her said, his Italian accent ever present. "She's seen things that anyone else would torture her for…but me, you see, will make this painless." Anna heard the click of a gun cocking and she momentarily closed her eyes. "Let her go" the 'hood' said.

"Why would I do that? I just said she'd die" the man said. He removed his hand from her mouth and she sighed in relief—she was a germophobic that way. "Let. Her. Go" the 'hood' said again. Anna slightly turned and flickered her gaze from the direction of the man's hand on her arm to the 'hood'. She prayed he would get the memo. As she did so, he seemed to notice.

The 'hood' slightly readjusted his aim so it was hardly noticeable and shot the arrow. The man screamed loudly when the arrow dug into his flesh. Anna quickly ran to a few feet behind the 'hood' and watched the man squirm in pain. He screamed a few more times before starting to back up subconsciously. Anna noticed this and lunged forward just as the man back tracked off the roof. "No!" she said, looking over the edge of the roof.

She looked away before she could see the man hit a car below. She turned back around and the 'hood' stepped closer to her. "What did you see?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He said you were supposed to die because you saw something. What was it?" he asked. Anna inwardly cringed. She knew what she had seen was bad…but she didn't think it could kill her. "I witnessed a murder" she said.

"Who's murder?"

"I don't know. I just saw the guy get shot" she said. They were quiet a minute before the 'hood' held out a black flip-phone. "I'll be in touch" he said. She took it hesitantly and looked it over. She looked back up and he was gone.

SOOOOO? What do ya think? Review and tell me!


	2. Episode 2: Masks

**A/N**: This has gotten a bigger response than I thought! Thanks for the favs/follows!

_**Episode 2: Masks**_

Anna's fingers tapped extremely fast on her knees as she waited in the police department. She sat in a chair in front of Detective Lance's desk waiting for them to tell her she could go home. She'd given her statement of the night's events and someone contacted her sister to let her know where Anna was.

She kept tapping as she glanced around the police department. Detective Lance sat at his desk and she turned back to face him. "Can I go now?" she asked. He sighed and leaned forward on his desk. "You have yet to tell me why it is someone would want you dead, Miss Rogue. As soon as you tell me that you can go" he said.

"I told everything already. I don't know why he tried to kill me" she said. He eyes her suspiciously for a minute then sat up straight. "Alright then, you can go" he said. She nodded and stood, and then started for the exit.

She stood on the curb trying to think of a way to pass time until her sister got there to take her home. She couldn't believe this happened on her sister's wedding night. She sighed and sat, pulling the hem of her dress underneath her to sit on the fabric. She waited for what seemed like forever before a car pulled up beside her.

It wasn't her sister's car though. The driver door opened and outstepped Oliver Queen. He shut his door and came to sit by her. "My sister was supposed to be here" Anna said, somewhat miserably.

"She couldn't make it, so I volunteered to take you home" he said.

"Why couldn't she make it?" Anna asked.

"She was…busy" he said. Anna took a deep breath and stood, stepping back up onto the sidewalk. Through the years she'd always been there for her sister when she needed it. But now her sister wasn't there for her, and that made her both angry and sad. Oliver stood and opened the passenger side door.

Anna sighed and got into the car. He shut her door and walked around to the driver's side. Once he was in he started the car. "Where do you live?" he asked.

"She didn't…?" Anna shook her head and sighed. "Three-twenty-one Private Drive." He nodded and started driving whilst Anna tried to regain her composure. Her sister had sent a perfect stranger (To Anna at least) to pick her up and didn't give him an address to bring her back to. _What a family_, she thought.

_321 Private Drive_ was a long gravel road leading up to what looked like a glass house. Most of it was glass but the bedrooms and bathroom were solid walls for privacy. Oliver stopped the car a few feet from the door and Ann unbuckled her seat belt. "Thanks for driving me" she said, opening her door.

She got out and shut the door. She walked up to the glass door and typed in the security code, making the door beep twice. She pushed open the door and shut it before ascending the stairs to her bedroom. She turned on the chandelier that hung above the center of the bedroom and immediately took off her high heels and puffy yellow dress.

After a thirty minute shower Anna slipped into a nightgown and fell onto her bed in a heap. She sat up and noticed her clothes form the hotel were folded neatly and stacked on her bed. Her cell phone sat on top and it buzzed, showing a picture of her sister Sophia. Anna debated it a minute then hit the _ignore_ button.

_**The Next Day…**_

Anna walked downstairs in her slinky silk robe after three hasty knocks on her door. She saw through the glass that it was Detective Lance, in normal clothes. She sighed and opened the door and was blasted by the cold morning air. "Miss Rogue, uh, I was hoping to talk to you about last night" he said.

"Come in" Anna said, sidestepping. He hesitantly walked in and Anna gestured to the living room off to the left while she hurried up the stairs to dress. She put on jeans and a green long-sleeved blouse. She hurried back down the glass stairs and went into the living room.

She sat across from Detective Lance and raised her brow questioningly. He cleared his throat and leaned forward like he'd done at the police department. "Miss Rogue-"

"Please, call me Anna" she said.

"Okay, _Anna_, your statement said that the guy dragged you to the roof from the lobby and threatened to kill you. And the 'hood' just showed up and rescued you. But I think we both know the 'hood' does things for a reason" he said, in a quiet voice, as if they might be overheard.

"Detective Lance I don't know why you think there's more to this than what I said. But what I said is true" Anna said.

"I'm not saying it isn't. I'm saying there's something you left out," he said. "Do you know the 'hood' and that's why he saved you?"

"I don't know him, okay? He was just there. Why? Do you know him?" Anna asked.

"It depends if you do" he said.

"Obviously you do, which is funny because you used to hunt him" Anna said.

"I'm just asking for the truth" he said.

"The truth is someone tried to kill me and the 'hood' saved my life. If you don't believe me then just go ask him" Anna said, standing and walking to the door. Detective Lance stood and walked to the door. Anna held it open and he walked out. She shut the door behind him and went up to her room.

_**Later That Night…**_

Anna finished her paperwork and turned off her computer at her desk. Again she was the last person in the building and was locking up for the night. After she locked the door she started across the road to her car. Her back pocket vibrated and beeped four times. She stopped before she got in her car and pulled out the black flip-phone the 'hood' had given her.

She sighed and flipped up the phone and put it to her hear. "Hello?"

"_The man you saw murdered was John Legacy, the co-founder of Legacy Industries_" a deep voice came through the speaker on the phone. Anna got in her car and quickly shut the door. "That's why they want me dead? Because I saw them kill some hot-shot millionaire?" she asked.

"_Yes. And they will keep trying to kill you until they succeed_" he said.

"What am I supposed to do, then? Sit here and wait for them to kill me?" she asked.

"_I'll be in touch_" he said, before the line went dead. Anna sighed and flipped the phone closed, and then started the car. Anna drove back to her house and parked the car in the solid-wall garage. She typed in the security code and walked inside. She reached for the lights, something hit her head, and she blacked out.

Please Review and Tell Me What You Think!


	3. Episode 3: Sparks

_**Episode 3: Sparks**_

Anna slowly opened her eyes, wincing from the pounding in her head, closing her eyes again. She noticed her wrists stung with heat and went to move them but couldn't. _Rope burns_, she thought. Then she smelled something. She sniffed a few times to try and find out what the smell was. She then opened her eyes fully and knew what the smell was.

Flames encompassed the area around her and were just barely three feet away. She noticed she was in a chair, her arms wrapped around the back and tied at the wrists, and her ankles tied to the chair legs. She started to cough from the fumes that filled her lungs.

They burned the back of her throat causing her to cough harder. "So this is what it's like to get burned alive" she thought aloud. She fidgeted in her ties but they were relentless. She sighed frustratedly. "Help!" she shouted. "Somebody help!"

She coughed several more times, and the coughs got worse as the fire burned closer. It burned so close it nearly touched her foot.

She started to feel even more light-headed than she had before. Her eyes felt heavy and began to close on their own. "Somebody! Anybody!" she called weakly. She took a few more fume-coated breaths then fell unconscious. Her head fell back and she went limp.

A few seconds later Oliver, dressed as the 'hood', had entered the warehouse Anna was believed to be in. He, too, smelled smoke. "Anna?" he called, walking further into the warehouse. It appeared to be empty. Just then flames erupted on the west wall near a door, burning from the other side through.

He went quickly to the door and tried to open it. It was locked with a dead bolt and a steel hinge lock. Oliver suddenly started to feel panicked. He knew Anna was in that room but he couldn't get in.

On the inside, Anna faintly heard a banging sound. Her head rolled forward and her chin touched her chest. She tried to lift her head but she couldn't. "Somebody…help" she whimpered quietly.

"_Anna_?" she heard a voice calling her name from far off. It sounded muffled but she could still make out the words. She finally was able to lift her head and she saw most of the room was burning wildly and it had reached her chair. The right, back leg started to burn along with the left. "_Anna_!" the calls sounded desperate now. "_Anna, can you hear me_?"

"I'm here!" she called as loud as she could. She heard more loud bangs and thuds. "_Just hold on_!" the flame crawled up the chair leg and up the back of the chair to the shoulder. The flame didn't touch her but it soon would, given the chance.

She tried wriggling out of her ties again. She made a whimper of frustration and desperation as she tugged hard. She felt the heat on the skin of her right shoulder and coughed from the fumes.

The coughs blended with the banging noises in the background. "I can't…" she said, starting to pass out again. " I…I…." this time she fell under deeply and her breathing hitched.

Oliver finally broke through the door with a metal object he'd found lying around the warehouse. He saw Anna was passed out, hunched over in her chair. He quickly broke through the last bits of the door and looked around at the flames swallowing the room. There were sporadic segments of open floor he noticed.

He went from spot to spot as best he could and came to the last section of open floor where no fire burned. It was at least six feet from Anna, still. He bit the bullet and hurried through the last section of flames until he arrived at Anna's chair. He quickly untied her wrists and ankles, and she slumped into him unconsciously.

He picked her up, one arm under her knees and one around her rib cage, and then hurriedly carried her through the room and out the door. He carried her out of the warehouse and got half way across the open lot before the whole warehouse exploded behind them.

_**The Next Day…**_

Anna's eyes fluttered open to a dark room. She slowly and carefully sat up against the pounding in the back of her head. She looked around the room and noted she was in the hospital. The lights in the room were off but lights were on in the hall.

She noticed police walking by every few minutes. Her eyes swept the room again and stopped by the window with a startle. The 'hood' stood by the window watching her motionless. Anna swallowed and tried speaking so it was audible. "Thank you," she croaked. "You saved my life…again."

"Get some rest" he said, turning to the window.

"Wait!" she said, and he stopped, turning back to her slightly. She pushed down the blanket and slowly pushed off the bed to stand on her bare feet. She was a bit wobbly and unstable but she walked the three feet to meet him at the window. She looked up into his eyes and for a minute she couldn't speak.

But she finally snapped out of it and spoke. "Why do you keep saving me?" she asked. They were quiet once again. Anna heard faint footsteps and glanced at the hallway. She looked back but found herself alone with cool air coming in the open window. She leaned forward on the window ceil and looked out at the city.

"Miss you really shouldn't be out of bed" someone said from behind her. she turned and saw a police officer standing by her door. "I just needed some air." She closed the window and went back to her bed.


	4. Episode 4: Debt Release

**A/N**: Whoohoo, 10 follows and 7 favs! Thank you guys so much! Highlander348, that is a great idea and I am going to use it in the next episode! Thanks!  
And P.S. there is a scene near the end for which the story was changed to Rating: M. the scene was written by PopRockShawty. Be forewarned.

_**Episode 4: Debt Release**_

Anna had been discharged from the hospital and her sister, Sophia, picked her up. The car ride was awkward and silent until they were a block from Anna's house. Sophia cleared her throat. "Why haven't you returned my calls?" she asked.

Anna didn't answer for a few minutes. "The same reason why you didn't pick me up when someone attempted to murder me…I was busy" Anna said.

They pulled into Anna's driveway and parked by the door. Sophia sighed and twisted in her seat to face her sister. "Anna, you know I'm sorry" she said.

"Do i? 'Cause you never said it, and I don't really wanna hear it" Anna said. She unbuckled and reached to open her door, but Sophia grabbed Anna's hand. Anna sighed and turned to her sister. "Please, Anna," Sophia pleaded. "Let me make it up to you."

"How?" Anna asked, slightly interested in what her sister might offer.

"We can go out tonight, like we used to do before you went back to college. Dinner, party—anything you want to do. Come on, Anna, please?" Sophia asked. Anna sighed and thought it over a few minutes. Anna and her sister had gone to parties and been real socialites before Anna witness John Legend's murder and decided to further her education.

She finally sighed shortly and nodded. "Alright, fine" she said. Sophia smiled and sat back in her chair. "So what do you want to do?" she asked.

"Find out when you pick me up at eight" Anna said. She got out of the car and shut the door, and then watched Sophia's car disappear down the driveway. She turned and walked into the house then trotted up the stairs to her room.

She turned on the chandelier and went into her walk-in closet. She peered at her dresses and then sighed as she leaned back on her heels. "This will not do" she decided, leaving her closet. She went to the living room and grabbed her wallet. She then headed into the garage and started her car.

She went from shop to shop until she found a place that had a style she liked—Maroon Malibu Boutique. She went to their dress section and flipped through some party dresses. She sighed and kept flipping. Then she found a few she wanted to try: a forest green mini with one sleeve, a fuchsia sequined dress that was strapless, and a red dress that hemmed at the lower thighs and inlayed lace from the waist up.

She went to the back changing rooms and slipped into one of the open doors. She tried on the green dress and looked it over on herself in the mirror. It was a little too short for her taste and the one-sleeve didn't leave much to the imagination up top. She went back in and tried on the fuchsia dress. She came out and scoped it in the mirror. She didn't feel as comfortable as she thought she would with a strapless dress. And the sequins were a little too out-there.

She went back in the third time and tried on the red lace-silk ensemble. She came out and looked herself over in the mirror. It was definitely a step in the right direction compared to the other dresses. "Wow, that looks great on you" she heard a female voice from the left say. She looked and saw a girl about her height with blondish-brown hair and she looked to be trying on a dark blue sequined dress.

"Really?" Anna asked, turning back to the mirror. "I don't know if red is really my color."

"Yeah, totally, go with the red. It looks good with your blonde and black mixed hair color" the girl said.

"Thanks, um…?" Anna said.

"Thea Queen" the girl said.

"Anastasia Rogue. But everyone calls me Anna" Anna said.

"Are you getting a dress for a specific event?" Thea inquired.

"Yeah, my sister and I are going out tonight" Anna said.

"Did you pick a place yet?"

"No, not yet."

"You should come to Verdant, I'm the manager and my brother Oliver owns it" Thea suggested.

"Hmm, I think I will" Anna said.

"Great! I'll see you there, then" Thea said, turning and walking back to her changing room. Anna sighed and looked at herself once more before going back into the room and changing out of the dress. She decided on the red dress she'd tried on, paid for it, and drove home.

_**Later That Night…**_

It was five minutes until eight and Anna just finished her make-up. She went with Smokey black eye shadow and a hint of blush to go with her red dress and dark roots. She grabbed her shoes off the bed and went downstairs when she heard her sister's signature four-knock rhythm.

Anna opened the glass door and took a second to notice her sister's outfit. Sophia had gone with a dark blue mini dress that hugged her curves, blue pumps, and blue jewelry to match. Sophia smiled looked her sister up and down. "Look at _you_! Is that new?" Sophia asked, pointing at Anna's dress.

Anna strapped on her high heels and grabbed her jacket before shutting the door and setting the alarm. "Yeah, I got it today" Anna answered. They walked across the gravel and slid into Sophia's car, shutting their doors and buckling their seat belts. "Where are we going?" Sophia asked, backing out of the driveway.

"Verdant" Anna replied.

"Ooooh, we're going clubbing, huh?" Sophia joked.

"It was recommended, okay?"

They drove through the city to the club in the glades and parked around the corner. On the way in Anna made sure to be aware of her surroundings in case she was to be attacked tonight. Sophia chuckled and dragged Anna in the door into the crowd of people and pounding music. Anna felt weird being surrounded by so many flailing bodies and people who had had too much to drink.

Sophia went into the dancing crowd and Anna went to the bar. She ordered a drink and leaned her back against the bar. She shook her head as her sister motioned for her to come dance with her. "I didn't expect to see you here" she heard a familiar male voice say. She sideways glanced as Oliver came to stand beside her. "I didn't expect to see me here either, but my sister insisted she make up _not_ picking me up on her wedding night" Anna said, shrugging.

"Hey, I heard you were taken to the hospital yesterday. What happened?" Oliver asked.

"I fell and hit my head. Nothing serious" Anna lied, taking a swig of her drink.

"You don't look like you're having much fun" Oliver pointed out, with a cheesy smile.

"I'm not much for the party scene anymore" she said, returning the smile.

After a few drinks things got a little hazy for Anna. She still didn't go dance with Sophia no matter how many drinks she had. She stayed by the bar and ended up talking to Oliver for a while. Then the conversation turned into flirting. And after a while that turned into going to Anna's house. Once the two, both tipsy, arrived at Anna's house, Anna, without prior warning, began taking her clothes off, leaving her bra and panties on.

"What exactly are you doing?" Oliver stood rooted to the spot, staring.

"Making myself feel comfortable and at home; what the hell does it look like?" Anna drawled.

"Oh," Oliver pursed his lips. "Alright then. I'm not stopping you."

"Of course you ain't stopping me." Anna said sassily. "You're going to do the same. I won't take no as a reply."

"What. Take my clothes off? You sure that's necessary?" Oliver's jaw dropped slightly.

"Well if you get to enjoy the view," Anna said as she fixed her hair, "there's always something you have to give in return."

"Okay," Oliver nodded tentatively and proceeded to unbutton his shirt, but Anna rolled her eyes at him and complained that he was taking too long. So she took matters in her own hands and, with her nimble, deft fingers, swiftly removed his shirt and threw it on the floor. He didn't even have the time to react to her forwardness, which he found a turn on, and before he knew it she had thrown him on an armchair and now she was straddling him, and kissing him full on the mouth. When they broke apart, he was breathless. "Why aren't you saying anything?" Anna questioned impatiently. Oliver panted.

"What can I say? This is heaven." He commented. "And besides I prefer listening to you talking." Anna chuckled lightly. "Talking isn't the only thing on my mind right now…" she remarked as she grinded against him, and she could feel his erection against a few layers of fabric.

She knew then it was time to move his hands and place them on her hips. "Nothing better than some mind-blowing heavy touching." She added.

"Do you – do you think I can get these off?" Oliver, breathing heavily, tugged at his jeans.

"Ah, so your mind isn't the only thing I'm gonna blow, apparently." Anna winked. "Well I'm a merciful mistress." She got off Oliver and quickly removed his jeans, leaving him in his boxers. "And I know you love to listen to me talking, but, well, you know," she shrugged, dropping to her knees. "It's hard to talk with my mouth full."

She wasted no time in freeing him from his boxers and she immediately took his shaft in her hands and took in his full length in her mouth. His eyes widened, then quickly shut, in the sudden waves of bliss that overcame him, and he was so focused on the ecstasy that she gave him using her tongue that when he opened his eyes again, all he saw was Anna licking her lips satisfactorily, and swallowing his seed.

"How was that?" Anna asked confidently.

"It was…it was good." Oliver was still recovering from the overwhelming pleasure. Anna raised one eyebrow. "Just…good?"

"Absolutely phenomenal." Oliver stated.

"That's more like it." Anna leaned in to kiss Oliver on the lips as a reward, and he didn't hesitate to take this chance to unhook her bra, and casually left it lying on a coffee table beside the armchair.

"Eager to explore my body, now, handsome?" Anna whispered seductively in Oliver's ear.

"Right you are." Oliver replied, roaming his hands over the beautiful curves of her body. Anna took that as a cue to shimmy out of her panties. Straddling his saddle, she held on to his shoulders and hovered over him before slowly lowering herself onto his rod of pleasure by tantalizing the supersensitive tip, stimulating every nerve ending.

She took full control over the speed and timing and rhythm, alternating between slow, shallow strokes with deeper thrusts that made him grunt in pleasure, and the hot and heavy eye contact made things more heated and intense.

"Bed?" Oliver managed to splutter. He was so absorbed in the ecstasy to even formulate full sentences.

"Uh-uh." Anna whispered lecherously, chuckling in his ear. "My place, my rules." And with that, she slammed her body onto his erect manhood. Oliver reacted by groaning in bliss, and bucked his hips against hers, pushing deep within her, sparking his release.

She, panting too, rode him in circulation motion in turbo speed, and as he pounded into her he soon felt her juices flow freely onto his length. The sensation was addictive. As soon as they both caught their breath, Oliver was the first to speak. "Next time, we're doing it in my place."


	5. Episode 5: Party Play

**A/N: **I decided to move training with the Hood to Episode 6. Don't be too mad. I couldn't find a place in the plot for it in Episode 5. But it will for sure happen in Episode 6!

_**Episode 5: Party Play**_

Anna finally got to the office on Monday morning. She started her computer and looked over previous articles she'd been working on. Nothing going on in the city stood out to her so she never finished any pieces she started. She sighed exhaustively and grabbed her Nikon Camera from the desk drawer. She pulled the neck strap around her neck and put on her jacket before leaving the building.

She walked down the street toward the Glades. The sidewalks were crowded as usual, full of people trying to get from point A to point B. Anna made it to the Glades a little after noon. She looked for something to catch her eye and maybe give her some inspiration but found no such thing. Her work was going down the toilet and she needed to get back to where she was before previous events.

Her whole life was secretly going down the toilet. She didn't tell anyone or show it at all. But it was, and it was going down fast. Anna crossed the deserted street when she came upon a familiar green sign. She walked inside the club and saw Thea behind the bar writing alcohol stock on a clipboard.

She walked to the bar before Thea noticed her. "Hey, what are you doing all the way out here? Shouldn't you be writing some novel of an article behind a desk?" Thea asked. Anna chuckled and leaned her hip on the bar. "Please tell me you have something going on I can write about" Anna said.

"Writer's block or lack of excitement?" Thea asked, glancing at Anna from her paper.

"Both" Anna decided. Thea chuckled lightly and put the clipboard on the bar in between them. She looked at Anna and smiled. "My mom is running for mayor. You could write about that" Thea suggested.

"She is? Oh, that's great. I need more than a topic, though" Anna said.

"She's hosting a gala tonight for her election…" Thea said.

"I could interview her there for the article" Anna finished.

"Exactly. You could come as my personal guest" Thea said. Anna smiled and stood up. "Thank you, Thea," she said. "You're a life saver." Thea nodded and said, "Glad to help" before picking up her clipboard and resuming her stock taking. Anna turned and started for the door when Oliver walked in. he smiled and met her halfway to the door. "What brings you here?" he asked, slipping his hands into his jean pockets.

"I was walking by and thought I'd stop in and make sure Thea wasn't dying of boredom" Anna said.

"I thought you had work" he said.

"I did, I mean, I do," she gestured her camera a second. "Writing these things isn't as easy as portrayed."

"Are you doing anything tonight?" he asked. "My mother is hosting an election gala and I was thinking of taking you with me." Anna crossed her arms and smirked. "Only thinking?" she asked.

"I was going to ask" Oliver said, with a smile.

"As it turns out I was already going to be there. Maybe I could save you a dance…if you're lucky" Anna said, walking past him to the door.

After she left Verdant she walked back to the busy city streets. She made her way back to the office and went straight to the Editor's office. She knocked on the glass door before walking in. The Editor of The Starling Gazette, Joanne Bourne, stood by the window on the far wall holding a phone to her ear. "Yes, yes…yes, I understand…thank you for your time" she said. She walked back to her wooden desk and set the phone on the base. She sat in her chair and looked up at Anna. "Can I help you, Miss Rogue?" she asked.

"I want to cover Moira Queen's election" Anna stated confidently.

"Are you kidding? You haven't published a substantial article in over three months and you want me to put you on an election?" Joanna asked.

"I covered the vigilante" Anna interjected.

"Three months ago" Joanne said.

"I want to pick my career back up, and this is the perfect way to do it. I just need a chance" Anna said. Joanne sighed frustratedly and readjusted her glasses. "I want the final read through on my desk tomorrow afternoon. If it is anything less than perfection you _will_ be fired" she decided. Anna nodded and she turned and then left the office with a sigh of relief.

_**Later That Day…**_

Anna came down the glass stairs holding her dark green pumps and wearing an Emerald Green Valentino dress that ended a few inches above the knee. It had long sleeves to the wrist inlayed with lace and it was form fitting from the collar to the waist where it then pleated down with more lace and a silk slip sewn underneath. It was also an open back from the waist to the clip at the back of her neck.

She went to the kitchen counter where her camera and press pass lay. She slid her feet into her high heels and pulled on her press pass before grabbing her camera, putting on her jacket, and heading into the garage.

Anna drove to where the gala was being held and parked in the designated Press Parking. She walked inside and was swallowed by the huge crowd of people in the large room. The room was large but the crowd of people was even larger. Anna took pictures of the crowd and the stage set up on the back wall.

She looked up from the picture viewer and looked around until she found Moira Queen, standing on the opposite side of the room with Thea, Oliver, and a few people she didn't recognize. She made her way through the crowd until she came to their group. "Anna, glad you could make it" Thea said, ushering her over.

"I'm just happy I made it in the door. These people are packed in like sardines" Anna said. Thea stood next to Oliver, still with an arm around Anna, and got everyone's attention. "Guys, this is Anna. Anna this is my mom, my ex-step-dad Walter, Oliver's friend Felicity, and of course you already know Oliver" Thea said. Anna shook hands with Moira, Walter, and Felicity. "Are you a photographer?" Felicity asked, gesturing to Anna's camera.

"Um, no, I'm a journalist. I'm here on behalf of the Starling Gazette, actually" Anna replied.

"Oh, prestigious" Walter said, with a smile. Anna chuckled. "I was actually hoping to get a picture of the candidate, if that's okay?" Anna asked, turning to Moira.

"Of course" she said. Anna got her camera ready and snapped a few pictures. "So how do you know Oliver?" Moira asked.

"My sister's wedding" Anna said. Just then a man came over, telling them it was time for the speech to begin. Anna made her way to the front of the crowd where she could use her compact tape recorder to record the speech for her article. First Walter made a small speech, then Oliver introduced his mother. Then Moira came up to the podium and started her speech.

After the speech was over Anna rejoined the group by the far side of the stage. She took a picture of the whole Queen family then Thea came around to look over her shoulder. While Anna and Thea were scrolling through pictures she'd taken of the night, Oliver noticed a small red dot move onto Anna's forehead. "Everyone get down!" he called.

He pulled Anna and Thea down as everyone else ducked. The glass wall behind them shattered into a thousand pieces as gun shots rang and bullets flew through the room. When they stopped everyone flooded out of the building. People ran for the exit as Anna, Thea, and Oliver stood. "Everyone okay?" Oliver asked, looking over his family. They all nodded.

Anna knew it was another attempt at her life. She turned and eyed a door labeled 'staircase'. She made her way to it and pushed through the door into the stairwell. She hurried up the stairs to the roof door and pushed out onto the roof. The wind cut right through her dress making goose bumps run up her back where the open spot was.

She went to the center of the roof next to a maintenance building and faced the direction the shots had come from. She waved her arms a few times. "Hey! You want me? Well, here I am!" she shouted. A second later she was pulled behind the building as bullets grazed past. She was pushed against the wall and looked up. She was staring into the eyes of the 'hood'. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he asked, fiercely.

"I'm trying to get them to stop shooting at those people downstairs. They want me, not them" Anna said, holding her ground.

"Stay out of sight" he said, pushing away from her. He went around the side of the building and Anna heard more gun shots and the whizzing sound the arrows made as they flew. Suddenly the gun shots stopped and so did the arrows. Anna was told to stay put but she walked around the building. The roof was eerily quiet. Then she noticed the 'hood' sitting, leaning against the maintenance building door with a dark red spot at his abdomen.

Anna gasped and sunk to her knees beside him. "You've been shot" she said, in disbelief and sadness. She quickly applied pressure with her hands to try and keep it from bleeding. Suddenly he slumped over, so now he was lying on his back, and Anna noticed he'd gone unconscious. Anna started to feel panicked. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't call for help—she'd left her cell phone in her jacket downstairs. And no one would hear her on the roof.

She figured since he might die it wouldn't be a big deal if she unmasked him. That and she wanted to know who the man was that saved her life several times. She slowly peeled off the mask with one hand while keeping pressure on the wound with the other. She gasped as his identity became clear. "Oh my god.." she said, quietly. "Oliver?"


	6. Episode 6: A Little Bit Stronger

**A/N: ***Sighs* okay, so training is in Episode 7. Gosh, I am such a hypocrite. Sorry, but you'll have to wait one more chapter. Please don't be mad! This is all because I have a hidden agenda at work here.

_**Episode 6: A Little Bit Stronger**_

Anna sighed and stifled a yawn as she sat sideways in a cushioned hospital chair, awaiting Oliver's return to consciousness. Anna could now say she'd stayed awake all night—every last minute in the past twenty-four hours. She played back her memories of last night to keep herself awake…

_Anna gasped as his identity became clear. "Oh my god…" she said, quietly. "Oliver?"_ _she started to panic further, breathing heavily like she'd run a mile and she couldn't think. Then she froze. She remembered she'd strapped a small pouch to her thigh to hold the phone from the 'hood'. She pulled it out and tried calling, and to her surprise someone answered. "Hello?" came through the phone. _

"_Look, I know you're not the 'hood' because he's here with me bleeding out. I don't know what to do" Anna said. _

"_What happened?"_

"_He was shot" Anna said._

"_Keep pressure on the wound. I'm sending someone to come help." The line went dead and Anna sighed frustratedly as she put the phone away. She held her hands tight and pressed on the wound, watching the color drain from Oliver's face. A few minutes later Anna twisted around when she heard the roof stairwell door open and close. A dark skinned man Anna didn't recognize hurried next to her and knelt. _

_He dropped a red bag on his other side and unzipped it open. He then slightly rolled Oliver over and found no exit wound. He gently lay him back down and sighed ruefully. "Anna?" he said. She nodded and looked at him expectantly. "I'm gonna need your help with this. Can you focus?" he asked. _

"_Yeah, yeah, I'm good" she said, nodding uncertainly. _

"_Okay," he said, unzipping Oliver's hoody and opening it to reveal the gruesome looking wound. "You're not gonna throw up on me, are you?" Anna chuckled slightly and shook her head. He used his index finger and thumb to reach inside the wound and Anna gagged a bit. His fingers retreated and he pulled out a small bullet coated in blood. _

_He sat it beside them and pulled out a sewing kit. "Okay, Anna. This is where you come in. I need to hold the skin together," he said, put hand hand and fingers where they should be. "While I sew it. Can you do that?" she nodded and held the skin together as told. He got the needle and thread from the kit and started sewing the skin Anna's fingers clamped together. _

Anna readjusted in the chair and glanced over at Oliver. He'd regained his color about two hours after they brought him to the hospital. Anna was the only one staying with him around the clock, whilst relatives were stopping by every hour or so and every time it would be a different person. She still didn't know what to think about Oliver being the 'hood'. She hadn't paid any attention to it—she'd been too worried about him to care what mask he whore.

She sat up and then stood, deciding to stretch her legs by pacing in slow, deliberate circles around the chair. Her arms were crossed and she fought to keep her eye lids open when Moira Queen walked in the hospital room door. "I see letting you stay was a good idea" she mused, looking at Anna with a half-smile.

Anna stopped pacing and forced her eyes to stay open all the way. "I'm fine, really" Anna said. Moira walked over to Oliver's bedside and looked him over. "The nurse said he'd wake up in the next few hours and that was an hour ago" Anna said, joining her side. Moira nodded and turned to face Anna. "You look exhausted, Anna. You should get some sleep" she said. Anna shook her head. "I wanna be here when he wakes up" Anna said.

"You care for my son a lot" Moira pointed out.

"He saved my life. In more ways than one" Anna said.

"I got shot and you're arguing over who cares the most?" Moira and Anna both startled at the sudden voice. They both looked at Oliver as he sat up. Anna went around Moira and quickly hugged him. He groaned slightly and chuckled as he hugged her back. She pulled back and looked worried. "Sorry, did I hurt you?" she asked.

"No, Anna, I'm fine" he said.

"You two obviously have a lot to talk about. I'll check back in a while later" Moira said. She turned and left the hospital room, leaving Anna and Oliver alone. Anna sat on the edge of the bed next to Oliver. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Anna asked, mocking the 'hood's tone of voice.

"Okay, so maybe I ended up being the one who almost died. But you still need to be more careful" Oliver said, with a smile.

"I'll be careful when you stop saving my life" Anna said, sarcastically.

"That might be a while" he said.

"I hope so" she said, semi-quietly, looking into his eyes. Neither one of them spoke for a second. Then Oliver put a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her forward so her lips met his. He pulled away a minute later. "You look tired" he said.

"Well, I have been awake for forty-eight hours" she said. He turned her around so that her back was against his chest and shoulder and put his arm around her. "Get some sleep then" he said. She sighed, knowing it was no use trying to argue him on it, and nuzzled his neck. She leaned into him and closed her eyes. After a minute of fighting sleep she finally started to really drift off. She knew she was probably just imagining it, but she thought she heard an "I love you" before completely falling asleep.


	7. Episode 7: Paces

**A/N**: okay, here it is (Finally). Anna and Oliver go toe-to-toe! And some secrets about Anna's past and heritage are revealed!

_**Episode 7: Paces**_

"So this is your base of operations?" Anna asked, looking around at the computers and weapons. "Looks like the Bat Cave on a smaller scale."

"_Bat Cave_?" Felicity asked, twisting in her chair to look up at Anna.

"Long story" Anna said. Anna went to a glass rack of arrows and picked one up, spinning it in her fingers. Felicity came next to her and took it from her then gently sat it on the rack again. "Careful" she said.

"So, what do _you_ do?" Anna asked. She followed Felicity back to the computers and, as Felicity sat in the chair, Anna sat on the desk facing the other direction. "I help Oliver track down the people he needs to find, and—well, I pretty much do anything that involves a computer" Felicity said.

"You do much more than that, Felicity" Diggle said, walking down the stairs into the room, followed by Oliver. Felicity seemed slightly embarrassed. Anna stood and went to Oliver. "You didn't tell me why I'm supposed to be here" Anna said. Oliver walked passed her to a rack in the far back that held tall, thick wooden sticks. He picked one up and tossed it to Anna, and she caught it with one hand. "Seriously?" Anna asked.

"Seriously" Oliver said, smiling. Anna sighed and he grabbed one for himself then walked to a large mat further into the room. Anna looked back at Diggle and Felicity with a 'help me' expression but Diggle just shrugged. She sighed again and reluctantly followed after Oliver. "You really wanna do this?" Anna asked, standing on the opposite side of the mat as Oliver.

"You need to know how to defend yourself, so that next time you decide to take on assassins by yourself you can actually fight them" Oliver said.

"Okay, fine, but don't come crying to me when you hit the mat" Anna said, with a sly smile.

"I won't be the one hitting the mat" Oliver said.

"We'll see about that," Anna said. "And don't worry about going easy on me." Anna twirled the stick like she didn't know what she was doing to make her statement seem ridiculous. After the initial what's what speech they began sparring. Anna blocked, parried, and struck with ease, much to Oliver's surprise. After the first two spars Anna went back to her spot and got in ready stance.

"You make it out like this is hard," Anna said, ducking Oliver's stick. "It's actually quite easy." She swung and of course Oliver ducked and swung at her, then she picked up the pace with faster blocks and strikes. "Are you sure you know nothing about this?" Oliver asked.

"I may have lied a bit" she admitted. Felicity and Diggle were standing by watching, Felicity flinching and grimacing when the sticks hit. Anna got the upper hand and twisted Oliver's stick out of his hand so it went clattering to the floor. She positioned the end of her stick at his neck in a perfect finishing stance. "Just a bit?" Oliver asked.

"I know a few things. But, honestly, I'd forgotten all of this—seeing as it's been eight years" Anna said, stepping back to her side.

"Where'd you train?" Diggle asked.

"A city on the east coast, called Gotham City, ever heard of it?" Anna asked. He shook his head. "Who taught you?" Felicity asked. Anna was quiet a while. "My dad…He trained with some of _the_ best martial arts teachers in the world, and he taught me some stuff," she finally said, as if she was just remembering it herself.

"But that was a long time ago. Doesn't matter." Anna put the stick back on the rack and started for the stairs. "Anna," Diggle said, walking to her. "Thought you might need this." He gave her the camera she'd dropped at the election gala last night. And then she remembered she had a dead line for her article and she gasped. "Oh crap."

She hurried down the sidewalk and entered the office. She ran to her desk and quickly printed out the article she'd written and took it to the Editor's office. She knocked before entering and Joanne sighed, annoyed. "Why was the article not on my desk when I came back from the board meeting? I thought we discussed this. You write it and get it on my desk on time, or I fire you" she said. Anna handed Joanne the article. "I know, okay? I had a bit of a…family…emergency. But it's done" Anna said.

"And it's late" Joanne said, dissatisfied. Her eyes skimmed through the article quickly. Then they started to slow to normal pace and she re-read the article a few times. "Are you sure _you_ wrote this?" Joanne asked.

"Yes, I wrote it…?" Anna said, suspiciously.

"This is…this is exceptional, Miss Rogue. I'm surprised you haven't put out something like this earlier," Joanne said. "You can expect to see this on the front page in the next issue." Anna sighed in relief and left the office.

She sat in her desk chair and let out a breath she'd been holding as she leaned her elbows on her knees and planted her face into her palms. "Everything okay?" she heard a familiar voice and perked up. "Oliver? What are you doing here?" she asked, standing.

"You left in a hurry. I thought I'd make sure everything was okay" Oliver said.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Could we talk?" Anna asked. Oliver nodded and Anna grabbed her jacket, swinging it on as she started for the exit with Oliver on her heels.

Anna led the way down the stairs into what Felicity called the 'Arrow Cave'. She took off her jacket and tossed it onto the computer chair and went to the rack of wooden sticks. She grabbed one and tossed one back to a confused Oliver. She then went to the mat and took her spot. "I can't do this without a distraction," Anna explained, as Oliver took his spot. "I need to say some things that you might want to know. So let's start already." Anna took the first strike and Oliver blocked, striking back. Anna ducked and twisted stances so that they switched sides of the mat.

"I'm not who I said I was. My name isn't Anastasia Rogue" Anna said. She struck and blocked. "Then what's your name?" Oliver asked, trying to keep up with Anna.

"Anastasia Wayne…or Al Ghul…whichever way you wanna put it" Anna said. Oliver automatically stopped upon hearing Al Ghul. He stared at her with a confused expression not saying a word a long time. "_Al Ghul_?" he asked, sounding a bit hurt.

"Not the Al Ghul you think, Oliver," Anna said, breathing hard from the exercise. "I didn't know when I witnessed John Legend's murder. I knew my dad, not my mom."

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Because if things ever go wrong you'll know how to kill me."


	8. Episode 8: Trade

**A/N**: WinterRain36, yes her mother is Talia, and you gave me a great idea that I think I'll use. Thank you!  
BatBabe66, technically no, it isn't a Dark Knight crossover because it just features themes. nothing actually crosses over.

_**Episode 8: Trade**_

"Kill you?" Oliver asked. "Anna, what are you not telling me?" Anna looked at him a second before averting her eyes. "In time this will all make sense, but until then…I think we should take a break," she said, somewhat reluctantly. "I know now it's not some band of small-wage murders after me, Oliver. These people could hurt you, or my sister and her husband, and they could hurt your family, too. It's not safe."

She then put the stick back, grabbed her jacket, and started up the stairs quickly. As she went to exit, silent tears streaked her face. Thea was in the main part of the club when Anna surfaced and saw the tears. "Anna, what happened?" she asked. Anna walked past her quietly and left Verdant without a word.

She got in her car and shut the door. She gripped the steering wheel tightly until her knuckles turned white. Her hurt was replaced by anger. Anger for everything that she'd been put through in the last two weeks. And everything that happened in the four years she left Star City. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed seven on speed dial. "Hello?" came through the phone in a female voice.

"We need to talk. Meet me at the harbor" Anna said, before hanging up the phone. She put the phone into her pocket and started the car.

Anna parked a little ways from the harbor at a frater yard. She got out and shut the door loudly to announce her presence. She then put her hands into her pockets before walking to the backside of the yard—an empty section of gravel behind the crates stacked to the heavens. She stood facing the harbor and waited in the silence. "Took you long enough" she said.

"What is it?" the same woman that was on the phone asked from behind her. Anna turned to face a blonde woman that looked to be Anna's age or a little older. "Do you still have connections in the League?" Anna asked.

"Anna, you know I'm trying to cut those ties" the woman said.

"I know…and I'm sorry to ask this. But I need to set up a communication system with Ra's" Anna said.

"Why would you risk that?" the woman asked. "You know what he'll do if he catches you."

"I don't have a choice, Sarah. Can you do it or not?" she asked. Sarah was quiet a moment before answering. "I think so" she finally said.

"Get him to have someone meet me to discuss my release tomorrow night, right here" Anna said. She and Sarah shared a nod before Anna walked back to her car and got in, shutting the door behind her and starting the car.

Anna sat still on the end of her bed, where she'd been the whole night. She couldn't bring herself to sleep. And she couldn't stop replaying her break up with Oliver over in her mind. It might have seemed easy, but inside she was screaming and crying and trying to change her mind. She sighed and ran a hand over her face. Suddenly her phone rang and she startled. She picked up her phone and found herself looking at a picture of Thea.

Anna didn't know if she should pick up or hang up. She chose to hang up and hit the reject button. As second after she did, Thea called again. Anna sighed frustratedly and turned her phone off. Thea had become like a sister to Anna but she couldn't risk bringing her into it, too. Anna stood and started pacing. She sighed angrily and went downstairs.

She had just stepped off the bottom step when a car came speeding into her driveway and stopped by the door, causing a wave of dust. "What the hell?" Anna asked, quietly. Thea stepped out of the car and came to the door just as Anna opened it. Thea looked distressed and Anna couldn't tell what about. "I've been trying to get a hold of you! Didn't you get my messages? Or hear my calls?" Thea asked.

"Thea, what is it that you want?" Anna asked.

"It's Oliver! He's missing. I mean, he left a note, but it's addressed to you so mom didn't open it. That's why I've been trying to call you. I haven't seen him since he left Verdant yesterday" Thea said.

"He's…what? How could he be missing?" Anna asked herself. She turned to Thea. "Can I see the note?" she asked.

"Yeah, come on" Thea said. Thea hurried into her car and Anna slid into the passenger's seat. Thea sped through Star City to the Queen Mansion and parked by the door. She hurriedly ushered Anna into the house and to the sitting room. Moira, Walter, Diggle, and Felicity were all standing in the middle near the couches. Moira held the note when Anna walked in. she quickly walked to Anna and held the note to her.

"I'm sure he's not really missing," Anna assured, opening the letter. "He probably just left town for a few days." She unfolded the paper and started reading the note. Anna tried keeping a blank face while reading to avoid panic from Moira or Thea, who were intently staring at her while she read. Anna looked up from the letter. "He'll be back soon. Apparently he needed to get away for a while, clear his head…Diggle, Felicity, could I speak with you? Privately?" Anna asked, walking out of the sitting room.

Felicity and Diggle met Anna by the front door. "What happened?" Felicity asked.

"Oliver negotiated a trade" Anna said.

"A trade of what?" Diggle asked.

"Him for me. The League has been on my ass since I left home. They wanted me or Sophia and Sophia is married and in Chicago with a life so now they want me. I don't know why they would allow a trade. They never settle for less than what they set out for" Anna said.

"Unless they did it on purpose" Diggle said.

"To lure me out."


	9. Episode 9: Love is Dangerous

A/N: Highlander346, that is a great idea and I'm going to use it! Man, you guys keep coming up with better ideas than I have! Thank you!  
P.S. totally forgot to mention I'm co-writing with BarnCat23 and my friend Rachel, who is not on FanFiction. The new cover was created by BarnCat23!  
Enjoy!

_**Episode 9: Love is Dangerous **_

Anna parked her car behind a crate and turned off the engine. She took a deep breath and got out of the car, shutting the door as soon as she was out of the way. She slid her hands in her pockets and walked around the crates to the open area near the harbor. She sighed as she stopped near the water and glanced down around. "Looks like I'm early" She said.

"_Is that code for you wanna back out_?" Diggle asked, through the ear piece in her ear.

"No. There is no way in hell I'm-"

"You're what?" she heard from behind, cutting off her sentence. Anna turned around and tried not to look like she was angry about having to meet someone from the League of Assassins. "Nyssa…Long time no see" Anna said.

"Why would you risk contacting us? I thought you were done with the League" Nyssa said.

"I am. And you know why I would risk it" Anna said, anger slipping into her words.

"Right…I forgot you were dating Oliver _Queen_" Nyssa mused.

"Where is he?" Anna demanded.

"You know there's only one way to get him back, Anastasia. The League will not release him until you surrender…and I'm guessing that isn't an option for you, is it?" Nyssa asked.

"Where. Is. He?" Anna asked again.

"I told you, the League will not release him until you agree to come back" Nyssa said. Anna sighed and shook her head. There was no room for negotiation, it seemed. "_Anna, I know what you're thinking_," Diggle said. "_Don't do it_." Anna waited for Nyssa to look away momentarily so she could pull out her ear piece. She stuffed it into her pocket and tried to look like nothing happened. "Nyssa, can't you give me some leeway here? Family discount? Anything?" Anna asked.

"You have a time limit," Nyssa said. She handed a small, square, silver device to Anna. "If you don't surrender by midnight in three days' time, we will kill him. And he will be just the first." Nyssa turned and started walking away. "You know how to contact me when you change your mind" Nyssa said, over her shoulder. Anna scowled as soon as Nyssa couldn't see her face. She put her ear piece back in. "Diggle, you there?" Anna asked.

"_Yeah, I'm here_" he said.

"New plot twist," Anna said, sliding into her car. "I have a time limit of three days. I either give in or they kill Oliver."

"_How are we going to find him in three days_?" he asked.

"I think I have an idea" she said, looking over the silver device Nyssa had given her. She started the car and left the harbor.

Anna walked down the stairs into the 'Arrow Cave' as Felicity called it, and went to Diggle and Felicity and the computers. She handed Felicity the device and said, "Open it." Anna crossed her arms and slowly walked in the opposite directions so she wouldn't see Felicity open it. The device was a compact video player, which wirelessly uploaded videos instead of using DVD's.

Anna had already watched the video uploaded and she didn't want to watch it again. She heard Felicity's reactions to the content of the video and turned to walk back to them. Felicity closed the video player as Anna just stopped at her chair. "That's a wireless video player, which means it uploads from a computer, and computers can be traced" Anna said.

"I don't know how much I can get from this, but I'll try" Felicity said. Anna nodded and Diggle turned to her. "Maybe you should go home, get some rest. We'll call you when we find something" he said. Anna just stared at him a minute before sighing and nodding. She stood there a second, reluctant to move, then finally started for the exit.

Anna typed in the security code and walked inside her house. She didn't bother turning on the lights. She walked up the stairs to her bedroom and went to her bed, kneeling beside it. She reached underneath and pulled out a black shoe box. She opened it and pulled out the black 9mm that it housed.

She pushed in the clip and stood, walking into her closet and grabbing a wooden chair. She set up the chair at the end of her bed to face the door and sat down. She cocked the gun and adjusted her position for better aim at the door. At that's where she sat the whole night.

Anna's phone rang as the sun came through the window. She sighed and answered the phone as awake as she could. "What?" she asked.

"We traced the last upload to a three block radius in the Glades" Diggle said.

"I'll be there in a minute" she said, standing and walking to the closet. She shoved her phone into her pocket and parted her clothes that hung on the bar. She felt the wall until her fingers hitched on a rut in the paint. She pulled out a panel of the wall revealing a small, square space. Inside the space was a folded black pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt—both made of a nylon/leather fabric.

Anna quickly changed into both and put on her black leather jacket and black boots. She shoved the gun into her belt at her lower back and pulled the jacket and shirt over it to hide it. She put the panel back into place and fixed her clothes then put her hair up into a pony tail in the bathroom. She pulled open a drawer in the vanity and pulled out a thin black nylon mask. She took a deep breath and put the mask in her pocket. She then turned and left the house.

Anna walked down the stairs into the 'Arrow Cave' and went straight to Diggle. "Where is it?" she asked.

"It isn't one hundred percent, but we traced the wireless upload back to a substation on the west side of the Glades. It's a building that used to be a toy factory that had to be closed down after the earthquake" Diggle explained.

"Okay, but where specifically is it?" Anna asked.

"Four-twenty-two Riverside Street" Felicity said. Anna nodded and went to the glass rack that held Oliver's bow and arrows and quiver. Anna took the quiver, sliding it on while she grabbed the bow. Then she slid the arrows back into the quiver over her shoulder. "What are you doing?" Diggle asked. Anna turned and went back toward the stairs. "What does it look like?" Anna asked, walking backwards toward the stairs.

"It looks like your bringing a bow to a firefight" Diggle said.

"And that's what I'm gonna do if that's what it takes to get Oliver back," she said, turning to the stairs. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder with a sly smile. "And don't try and stop me…just don't say I didn't warn you."

When Anna left the club she started on a backstreet, sticking close to buildings to refrain from being seen. She slipped into an ally and started West using a GPS system on her iPhone. "You lost?" she stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of a male voice in close distance. She discretely slipped on the black mask and slid her phone into her pocket.

She notched an arrow in the bow string and drew the bow in record time as she turned around. She found herself aiming at a young man not older than herself in a red hoodie and jeans. His age didn't make her put the bow down just yet. "And you are?" she asked.

"Roy Harper" he said, eyeing the bow suspiciously.

"Well, Roy, I suggest you turn around and start walking unless you want an arrow in your chest" Anna said.

"Are you in with the 'hood'? is he in trouble? You can tell me, I'm with Team Arrow" he said.

"_Team Arrow_?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, Felicity came up with it" he said. Anna let out a sharp breath and reluctantly put down the bow. She slid the arrow back into the quiver and slung the bow over her shoulder. "Like I said, turn around and walk the other way" Anna said. She pulled out her phone, turned, and started walking again. she heard foots steps again and sighed exhaustively. When the steps got close enough, she whipped around and delivered a solid kick to Roy's abdomen and when he doubled over she elbowed his back so he collapsed to the ground. "_Go. Home._" she said, sternly.

She turned and started walking again and this time she didn't hear any footsteps. As night fell she finally came up Riverside Street. She hid side-longed an abandoned building across from the old toy factory. She slid an ear piece into her ear and pressed _on_. "Diggle, Felicity—you there?" she asked, in a raised whisper upon seeing a guard at the door.

"_We're here. Are you at the factory_?" Diggle asked, through her ear.

"Yeah, four-twenty-two Riverside Street" Anna confirmed, quietly.

"_I've pulled up a schematic of the building_," Felicity said. "_It looks like there's the single ground level and then there are two sub-levels. The sub-levels are accessible by a single stairwell in the far east corner_."

"Got it, thanks" Anna whispered. She took out the ear piece and shoved it into her pocket. She went to move for the building but stopped upon hearing footsteps. She sighed and rolled her eyes. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Roy walking up to her. she turned to face him and sighed. "What, you didn't get enough earlier?" she asked. He stopped a foot in front of her. "I can help" he said.

"Yeah, help me get caught. Go home, Roy. This is bigger than the both of us and there is no way in hell that I am dragging you down with me. Go" she said, firmly. He stood up straight and looked at her unwilling to move. "He's in there, isn't he? That's why you're going in? to rescue him? I may not look like much but I can help get you in the door" he said.

"How?" she asked.

"I'll distract the guard and you slip in" he said.

"You realize you could die?" she asked.

"I can take him, trust me," he said, walking past her. she tried to grab him but she was too late, as he'd already slipped too far out of reach. "Hey!" Roy called, waving his arms. The guard saw him instantly and started for him. Roy turned and ran right, cutting through an ally with the guard hot on his heels. Anna waited for him to disappear and then bolted for the door. She pried open the door with quick fingers and slid inside. Once she was in she pulled the bow off her back and notched in an arrow.


	10. Episode 10: When You Take a Life

_**Episode 10: When You Take a Life…**_

Anna moved quietly to the Far East side of the factory, going around crates and support beams. She made it to the stairwell and glanced down it. It went straight down, curved around, and then went down further. She took a breath and started slowly down the steps. She made it to floor number two and kept the bow in a ready position as she started around the room. Level two was comprised of three rooms—one to the left of the stairs, one to the far right, and the other was the main area.

Anna went to the room left of the stairs and stopped next to the door. She listened for any out-of-the-ordinary noises before trying the door knob. It opened without worry and she slowly stepped inside. The room was dark but she could tell it was empty. She silently backed out and shut the door without another noise, then turned on her heel and went to room number two. She tried the door and it opened easily. After deciding it was also empty, she went to the staircase.

She started down, rickety step after rickety step, until she came into the second sub-level. Anna turned left and stifled a gasp. She found herself looking at Oliver, bloodied and slumped in a chair that he'd been tied to. Anna stood still and looked around for cameras or trip wires—even lasers. Nothing was out of the question when it came to the League. She didn't see anything obvious so she took two steps forward. She listened, and heard nothing. She continued two more steps, and repeated the process until she came to Oliver's side.

She dropped to her knees and pushed him upright. His eyes fluttered open and instantly found Anna's. She looked over the cuts and bruises that now marred his bare chest and anger boiled high in her veins. She untied Oliver and stopped still when she heard a board creak. She stood slowly and turned with a swing-kick that was ducked by Nyssa. Nyssa drew a bow and Anna back flipped to the side to miss three arrows. Anna wriggled between Arrows that Nyssa shot and got close enough to kick her legs out from underneath her.

She fell and Anna quickly pinned her by straddling her ribs, one foot pinning down each outstretched hand, and holding a pocket knife to her neck. "Nice to see you've reacquainted yourself with black leather" Nyssa said.

"Cut the crap, Nyssa," Anna spat. "You have two options: release me and leave with your life or die right here by my hand. Which is it?"

"Anna, don't," Oliver said from behind. "It's not worth it."

"_Which is it_?" Anna asked Nyssa, ignoring Oliver.

"You think you have what it takes to kill me? I don't think so" Nyssa said.

"Anna, don't listen to her. You can still walk away" Oliver said.

"You think you have what it takes to escape the League? I doubt it. You're nothing but a sad little girl that ran away from something that could've made her great" Nyssa said. Anna pressed the knife harder to Nyssa's neck, causing blood to trickle out of an incision. She wanted nothing more than to kill Nyssa and be done with her for good. But could she live with herself afterward? Anna blocked out Oliver's pleads to walk away. She reached back and pulled out the gun from her belt. She pressed the barrel to Nyssa's forehead. "Last chance" she said.

"Go to hell" Nyssa said. Anna didn't think twice. She pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into Nyssa and causing blood to splatter back onto the floor. Anna sat still a second with the gun in her hand. She froze with her eyes wide and she started to tremble. She slid off of Nyssa and stared at the gun in her hand. Tears streaked her face and she shook so hard it was visible. Gilt and regret pooled heavily in her stomach and she felt like retching. Oliver knelt beside her and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

Anna sobbed loud, heart-wrenching sobs that echoed in the empty room. She dropped the gun and held onto to Oliver tightly. He pulled her to her feet and led her to the stairs. He led her up to the ground level and out of the building as fast as he could. It was too dangerous to stay long, but Anna had her head in other places. She could barely focus on the steps she took. They walked across to the building Anna had hid along before she entered and stopped.

Suddenly Roy walked out from the alley behind them and came over to them. "You made it out okay" he pointed out, looking at Anna. She didn't respond. She just stood with a blank look on her face and a faraway gaze aimed off at a random spot. "Is she okay?" Roy asked Oliver.

"She will be. Why are you here?" Oliver asked him.

"I helped her get inside," Roy said. "Who is she by the way? Is she your new sidekick or something?"

"Roy, this isn't really the time for this conversation" he said. Oliver put an arm around Anna and started leading her back towards Verdant. When they got inside and down the stairs into the 'Arrow Cave' Felicity tended to Oliver's wounds while Anna sat on the bottom steps of the stairs staring at the floor.

Felicity noticed this and turned to Oliver. "What happened to her?" she asked. Oliver looked at Anna with a saddened expression. "She killed Nyssa" he said.

"What?" Felicity asked. "Are you serious?"

"I didn't think she had it in her" Diggle said behind them.

"Neither did I" Oliver said.

Felicity finished bandaging Oliver's cuts and went to sit at the computer. Anna blinked twice and sat upright as if she'd come out of a daydream. She took the thin black mask off and shoved it into her pocket as she stood. She went to Oliver and hugged him. "I'm sorry" she said. He hugged her back and sighed. "Don't be" he said.

"Can we go home?" she asked, in his ear.

Oliver pinned Anna against the wall, their lips not breaking apart for a second. She pulled his shirt over his head, breaking the kiss momentarily, and then went back in to kiss him again. He broke the kiss, pulling her shirt over her head and unclasping her bra so it fell to the floor. He cupped her breasts with his hands and kissed up her neck causing her to moan in pleasure.

She pushed down on his shoulders to lift herself up and wrap her legs around his waist. He then carried her to his bed and sat down so she was straddling him. Anna pushed him down on the bed and started trailing kisses from his neck and down further, while she started at his belt buckle.

Oliver clenched and unclenched his jaw to refrain from moaning when Anna took his manhood in her mouth. When she finished she stood and wiggled out of her pants before climbing back on the bed. Oliver flipped them so she was underneath him and kissed her lips forcefully. While he kissed her, he pulled her panties off and tossed them behind him onto the floor.

Anna hooked her legs around his waist, pulling him into her, and started moving her hips in a slow pace. He moaned at the unbelievable feeling of being inside of her. He bucked his hips in rhythm with her, meeting her thrust for thrust. "Olly…" she moaned, kissing his neck. They both picked up the pace, thrusting harder and faster until they were both reaching their release.

Anna's came first, triggering Oliver's. After they caught their breath Oliver dropped next to her and Anna turned on her side to face him. She placed a kiss on his forehead and looked into his eyes. "I love you" she whispered. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to his chest, and kissed her passionately. "I love you, too" he said. He pulled the blanket over them and she snuggled into him.


	11. Episode 11: Be Mine, Valentine

_**Episode 11: Be Mine, Valentine**_

Anna woke to sunlight blaring in the window. She looked beside her and the bedside was empty. She sighed and sat up just before the bedroom door opened and Oliver walked in wearing just jeans and carrying a tray with handles on either side. He shut the door behind him and smiled when he saw she was awake. He sat beside her on the bed and put the tray in her lap. "Good morning" he said.

"Good morning" she replied. She looked down at the tray and saw a plate of golden pancakes and a single red rose lying beside it. She looked back up at him with a smile. "What's the occasion?" she asked.

"You are," he said. "And after I tie some things up at work I thought maybe we could go out to dinner."

"Just the two of us?" Anna asked.

"Just the two of us" he said.

"You're spoiling me" Anna chuckled.

"You're worth it," he said, before kissing her forehead and standing. "I'll pick you up at seven." Anna nodded with a smile and he left the room, closing the door behind him. After eating Oliver's pancakes, showering, and getting dressed, Anna left the bedroom and walked down the stairs to the foyer. She went around the banister and to the door. Anna walked the streets to the Starling Gazette building and went up to the right floor.

She went to desk and hung her jacket on the back of her chair as she sat. She sighed and turned on her computer then started scrolling through a list of events. After a few hours of debating what to write, she finally started writing. She typed fervently on the keyboard, taking an occasional inspiration break, and then getting right back to it.

She had just started taking another inspiration break when a delivery boy holding a bouquet of red roses came to her desk. "Anastasia Rogue?" he asked.

"That's me…?" Anna said, sitting upright.

"Then these are for you" he said, handing her the roses. He turned and left and Anna put the roses on her desk next to the computer. She heard a familiar chuckle and turned to the right in her chair to glare at her desk-neighbor. "Looks like someone's desperate for your attention. Who's the mystery Valentine?" Cheryl—the woman that sits at the desk next to her—asked.

"What a second," Anna said. She turned to her calendar and searched for the date. "It' Valentine's Day?" That made Cheryl laugh. "That's just like you, to have a boyfriend and then forget when Valentine's day is" she said. Anna looked around and saw various heart shaped boxes and bouquets of flowers on desks sprinkled throughout the office. She ran a hand over her face and sighed ruefully. "So who's the boyfriend?" Cheryl asked, eyes not leaving her computer.

"Oliver Queen" Anna said, propping her elbows up on her desk.

"Whoa, your Valentine is a Queen? Lucky dog" Cheryl said. Anna shook her head and resumed typing on the keyboard. Anna always hated Valentine's Day because it just reminded her she didn't have anyone special in her life. But now that she was with Oliver she didn't know really how she felt about it. And their relationship wasn't exactly solid, to her at least.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her cell phone ringing. She sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. A picture of Sophia lit up the phone as it buzzed. She hit _answer_ and put it to her ear. "Hey, Sophia" she said. She nestled the phone between her cheek and shoulder so she could continue typing. "Hi, Anna. Okay, so it's Valentine's Day, and David and I are going out tonight. And I was thinking it would be fun if you and Oliver could join us, you know, like a double-date thing" Sophia said.

Anna refrained from gagging at the thought. "Um…I don't know, I mean, I want to, I just don't know if Oliver would want to" Anna said, trying an excuse to not go. Anna glanced at Cheryl and mouthed 'help me'. Cheryl put her hands up and shrugged, mouthing 'sorry'. Anna turned back to her computer and tuned back into the conversation.

"-And so he had to go to the office on his day off for a meeting," Sophia continued, not knowing Anna didn't listen to the first half of her sentence. "And that's when he bumped into Oliver. Anyway, the two got to talking and it turns out Oliver's okay with the idea." Anna face-palmed and silently cursed. "Really? Oh, okay, that's great. I guess we'll do it then" Anna said, trying to fake her happiness.

"Great! So, dinner's at seven-thirty, at Millicent's" Sophia said.

"Cool, I'll see you there then" Anna said, again faking enthusiasm.

"See you there" Sophia said, before hanging up. Anna put her phone in her pocket and sighed exhaustively. Cheryl chuckled and got up from her desk. "Good luck" she said, passing Anna's chair. Anna finished her article and printed it then set it on Johann's desk before leaving the office.

She walked back to her house and typed in the security code before walking inside. She draped her jacket over an arm chair and went up the stairs to her room. She went into her closet and riffled through her clothes to find something to wear to dinner. She found a burgundy one-long sleeve and laid it out of the bed. she found the other pieces to her outfit and put them with the dress before getting in the shower.

She blow dried her hair and fixed her make-up to match the color scheme of her outfit. She pulled on the dress and zipped it up the back with ease. The dress hugged her curves perfectly and ended at the knee. She put on her heels then went down stairs. She put on her jacket just as a black car pulled into the driveway and parked at the door.

Diggle got out of the front and opened the back-side door as Anna shut the front door. "He's got you hard at work I see" Anna said, sliding into the car.

"I wish" Diggle said, shutting the door. Oliver was in the seat next to Anna and he smiled, looking over her outfit. "You look good" he said.

"Just…good?" Anna asked, with a sarcastic smile. Oliver chuckled and put an arm around her. they backed out of the driveway and started for Millicent's Dining Hall. They parked on the street next to the door of the restaurant and Diggle opened Anna's door. She slid out and stepped up onto the sidewalk. "Thank you, sir" she said.

"My pleasure, ma'am" he said, with a nod. Anna chuckled and Oliver joined her on the sidewalk. They walked into the restaurant and Anna scouted out Sophia and David at a table near the glass wall at the front. All the tables had red and burgundy table clothes and flowers as the center piece, surrounded by little hearts. Anna and Oliver walked to Sophia and David's table and Sophia smiled.

"Hey guys" she said, brightly. Oliver pulled out Anna's chair and helped her in. then he sat in the seat next to her and shook hands with David. "Long time no see" David joked.

"Yeah, that was like," Oliver checked his watch. "Four hours?"

"Four hours too long my friend" David said.

"So, Anna," Sophia said, changing topics. "I have some news." Anna smiled questioningly. "Really? What about?" Anna asked, sipping her water.

"I'm pregnant," Sophia said, smiling. "Isn't that crazy?" Anna nearly spit water across the table but choked it down. "Yeah that's…really crazy" Anna said, nodding.

"We checked due dates, and the baby will be born sometime around your birthday. That would be so awesome if you two shared a birthday" Sophia said. On the inside, Anna was mortified. But she smiled and nodding so she wouldn't lead onto to it. "So how have things been going with you two?" David asked, noticing Anna's uncomfortable readjusting. Anna and Oliver shared a glance, both asking '_what do we say_?'. "Great" Oliver finally said, looking back to Sophia and David.

"Any marriages foreseeable in your future?" Sophia asked. That question mortified Anna even further and caused her cheeks to pinken a bit. "Sophia," David cut in. "I think you're embarrassing them."

"No, no, it's fine" Anna said. Dinner went on like that. Sophia would ask a personal question and Anna would continue to slink into her shell, her cheeks pinkening further which each one. After dinner was over, Oliver went to Anna's house, intending to drop her off and go home.

But Anna convinced Oliver to stay. "Have I told you that you look absolutely ravishing tonight?" Oliver grinned at Anna who was twirling a strand of her hair in her hand.

"Once maybe." She replied casually, beaming. "Or twice, actually."

"Well make that thrice, because you do look ravishing…as always. Yep." Oliver said smoothly.

"Oh, you flatter me, young man," Anna laughed. "But I'll bet I know what you're thinking. You think I'll look even better with this off." She winked at him, tugging at her dress.

"Ah, and smart too, young lady. You've just read my mind." Oliver grinned mischievously.

"Well," Anna shrugged, "I am a woman of many talents."

"That's just one of the many, many reasons why I love you." Oliver beamed. "I wonder if you're any good at dancing though."

"Ugh." Anna rolled her eyes. "I am a horrible dancer. You don't want to know. Trust me; it's really bad. Terrible," she made a face, shaking her head.

"On the contrary I very much want to know." Oliver countered, looking intrigued. "So, will you dance for me, gorgeous?"

"Dance FOR you, and not dance WITH you?" Anna raised one eyebrow.

"I should think not." Oliver pursed his lips. "Don't be afraid to show off your curves."

"Well I'd certainly hate to be the only one stripping. It makes me feel bad." She said as she brought her body closer to Oliver's, making him almost feel the adrenaline rushing, boiling in his veins as she began to undress him.

"Feeling better now?" Oliver murmured once Anna removed his jacket. Anna chuckled. "What am I supposed to pull you in by if you're not wearing a tie?"

"Doesn't change a thing; I still want you bad." Oliver said before firmly pressing his lips onto Anna's, kissing her fervently, and she made no effort to fight back, immersing herself in their physical contact while he undressed her. He got lost in the kiss, and his heart was racing.

His heartbeat further accelerated when she performed her signature move on him and pushed him onto the armchair, which he always thought was the very epitome of comfort, but he wouldn't just close his eyes and doze off on the armchair like he did a hundred times before, not when she was dancing seductively in front of him.

He kept his eyes wide open, staring at her hot body as she straddled him and took control by undressing him then undressing herself, but he had wicked ideas in his mind and her dominance wouldn't last very long this time, unlike the last time.

Oliver grasped Anna's thighs and lifted her up, and pushed her body against the wall, and immediately she protested, but when he began kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear, trailing his kisses all the way along her jawline down to her neck and shoulder, her protests became soft gasps and moans that were enough to set his body ablaze.

Indeed he felt as if he was on fire. Oliver really thought he had the upper hand but Anna was defiant. "Put me down, mister," she demanded. Oliver smirked at Anna. "As you wish then." He picked her up again and laid her down on the bed, and climbed atop her.

She gripped his strong arms and tried to flip him over so that she could be on top, and she was successful for a very brief moment but then he just countered the move by climbing on top of her again. "I hate you!" Anna grumbled. Oliver just chuckled. "I love you though."

"I don't believe you." Anna pouted.

Oliver smirked. "Then let me show you." And with that he thrusted into her, rocking her world and making her feel all kinds of ecstasy that she never thought existed as all sorts of glorious sounds escaped her lips. The look of bliss on her face was enough to trigger his release as she had her climax too.

Afterwards, there were bites, marks, slight scratches even, but nothing could top the pleasure they experienced when they were together as one.


	12. Episode 12: Family Affair Part One

_**Episode 12: Family Affair—Part 1**_

Anna ducked a fast swing of Oliver's stick and cut upright, and he parried. She twisted sideways and slipped behind, rendering a strike to Oliver's back. She stepped backwards as he turned around and she smirked. "How long are you gonna let me kick your ass?" she asked. She lurched forward and he just barely got his stick up in time to block hers from hitting his face.

She followed that by shifting her weight onto her left heel and twisting as she swung her stick behind Oliver's legs and pulling, causing him to slam onto the mat with a groan. He attempted to do something like she did, but before he could she vaulted forward and landed a few feet on his other side. "Seriously, though, when are you gonna raise the bar? And I ain't talking about the Salmon Ladder" she said.

"We only started thirty minutes ago" Oliver said, pulling himself off the mat.

"Yeah, and your ass has hit the mat fifteen times" Roy said, from where he sat a few feet from Felicity, watching.

"You're counting?" Oliver asked.

"For training's sake. It's good to keep track" he said, shrugging.

"And I suppose you're scoring the matches, too?" Oliver asked him.

"No, but if I was I'd give Anna a solid ten for that flip thing at the end" Roy replied.

"I'd have to disagree," Felicity said, who was also turned in her chair to watch. "The landing wasn't that stable so a nine seems more realistic." Oliver shook his head as he went back to his corner for starter's stance and Anna chuckled. "Round three," Roy announced, lecherously. "Begin!"

Anna was the first to move out of starter's position, her stick meeting Oliver's. She moved quickly, with expert strikes and extreme flexibility and speed. In seconds, Oliver hit the mat again and this time Roy clapped. "You shaved five whole seconds off your time," he said. Anna went to the end of the mat picked up her water bottle. "How do you do it?" she gulped down half her water bottle then put it back. "A lot of training" she answered.

"Who did you train with?" he asked. As Anna spoke, she stretched backward to touch her heels and succeeded. "A martial arts expert on the east coast. I trained with him from eight to thirteen and then I went to a dojo in Japan and trained there for two years" she said.

"Cool" Roy said.

"I know, right?" Felicity said.

"You two are ridiculous" Oliver called over his shoulder as he stood.

"What's ridiculous is that you can't pin me," Anna said, putting her hands on her hips. "Are you even trying?"

"Of course I'm trying" Oliver said.

"Doesn't look like it from here" Roy interjected. Oliver glared at Roy and he pretended he wasn't looking at them. Oliver sighed as he turned back to Anna, who had just stood from her back-breaking stretch. "I'm trying, okay? But your technic isn't something I'm familiar with" he said.

"Well get familiar with it," Anna said, with a cocky smile. "Because if _I_ can take you down, just imagine who _else_ could take you down." Roy audibly stifled a chuckle and Oliver shot a glare his way. Anna put her stick back on the rack and pulled on her jacket. "Someday, Roy, you'll get to fight me. And then we'll see who's laughing" Anna said, as she passed him to the stairs.

Diggle and Oliver started chuckling upon seeing Roy's sour expression. Felicity patted his shoulder and turned back to her computer, and he shook his head. Anna stopped at the stairs when Felicity called out, "Hey guys, I think we have a problem." She turned around and went to stand behind her chair. "What is it?" Oliver asked, coming to stand beside Anna.

"Okay, so I connected the motion sensors Anna put up on the old toy factory to our system so that we'd know when and if someone ever came back. And someone just did" Felicity said.

"Who?" Anna asked.

"His back is to the street camera, I can't get an ID" she said. Anna squinted to see who it might be on the computer screen. When she saw who it was she gasped and stepped back. "I need to go" she said. She put on her black leather jacket and put her hair up into a pony tail as she left. "Anna, who is it?" Oliver asked. She stopped at the stairs and turned slightly toward him. "Nothing to worry about" she said, putting on her black mask and sliding her gun into her belt at her lower back. She took the stairs two at a time and left the club.

As she got closer to the toy factory she double checked the magazine of her gun. She pushed it back in as she hid alongside the building across the street from the factory. She saw the familiar red and black motorcycle parked by the door and took a deep breath. She held her gun in the two hand position and turned the corner swiftly, aiming the gun at the man standing with his back to the street camera.

The man looked a few years older than her with thick black hair. He wore dark jeans and a dark blue shirt covered by a long black trench coat. He stood with his hands in his pockets and smirked at Anna. "I thought you stopped wearing that" he said, tilting his head. Anna kept the gun trained on him. "Why are you here, Damien?" she asked.

"I need an excuse to see my baby sister?" he asked.

"Why?" she asked, sternly.

"A friend sent me to check on you" he admitted.

"Why did our 'friend' send you to check on me? I don't need a babysitter" Anna said.

"Indeed you don't, but what you do need is someone to make you put the gun down" he said.

"That would be me" a deep voice said from behind Anna. She sighed and rolled her eyes then slid her gun into belt. She turned sideways and glared at the 'hood'. "You followed me? Didn't the quick exit give you the idea I wanted to go alone?" she asked.

"If you're so okay going alone then why did you keep your gun up?" he asked, stepping beside her.

"Because he's unpredictable. I didn't know if he was here for a hug or a kick in the ass" Anna said, turning back t Damien.

"Oh, I see," Damien said, with a boyish grin. "You're in it with Starling City's famous vigilante. Exciting."

"This is Damien…he's my brother" Anna said to Oliver. Damien held out his hand and Oliver stayed still. Damien awkwardly pulled his hand back and shoved it into his pocket. "Can't I at least get a hug? You did say a hug or a kick in the ass, and I choose hug" he said. Anna lopsidedly smiled and hugged her brother. She stepped back and sighed. "Is that all you came here to do?" Anna asked.

"I'm going to stay in town a few days, make sure everything's okay here with you and Sophia. Is your couch open?" he asked.

"Yeah, fine, but if I here you snore I will escort you out at gun point" Anna said.

"Deal" he said, with a thumb up. She sighed exhaustively and pushed his thumb down. "One rule," she said. "Grow up."

"Geez, fine" he said. She rolled her eyes and gestured for him to follow as she started walking the other way.

Anna fluffed a pillow before positioning it on her couch. She got a stack of blankets from the bedroom closet and sat it on the coffee table, next to the couch. Damien came in the living room from the kitchen and sat on the couch beside her. "You better not snore" she said.

"Don't worry," he said, with a wave of his hand. "You won't even know I'm here." Anna gave him a wavering look and started up the stairs.


	13. Episode 13: Family Affair Part Two

_**Episode 13: Family Affair—Part 2**_

Anna trotted down the glass stairs in dark jeans, a red long-sleeved blouse, and brown flat-heeled boots. She draped her jacket on an armchair and sat on the edge of the coffee table nearest the couch. She picked up the vase of flowers setting next to her and pulled the flowers out. Then she poured the remaining water on Damien's head.

He shot upright and glared at her. "What the hell?" he asked. Anna stood and wedged past him to her jacket. "I'm not leaving you in my house alone. You'll break something" she said, swinging on her jacket.

"So, what is this, take your brother to work day?" he asked, groggily.

"Yes," she said, throwing a towel at him. It hit him in the face and he sighed. "Put your pants on and let's go." He pulled the towel off his head and wiped away the water he could. "You know," he said, standing and reaching for his pants. "I'm a light sleeper. You could have just poked me or something and I would've woken up." He met Anna at the garage door and she smirked. "Poking you isn't as fun" she said. He rolled his eyes and followed her into the garage.

Anna led Damien to the empty desk next to hers and ordered him to sit while she took off her jacket. She put it on the back of her office chair and sat. "Rule one: don't touch anything. Rule two: don't talk to anyone. Rule three-" Anna started.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it already. Don't move unless you have to piss. I've had the speech before" Damien said. Anna swiveled her chair to face her computer and turned it on. She resumed her typing and editing articles and searching for the latest inside news. Damien swung back and forth in the office chair, looking around the office with an expression of pure boredom.

After twenty minute of hearing Damien tapping a pencil on the desk, Anna had had enough. She turned to him with a soft, sugar sweet look. "Damien?"

"Yes?" he asked, momentarily stopping his pencil tapping to look at her.

"Knock it off" she said, angrily.

"Oh," he said, mischievously. He turned closer to the desk and started tapping slowly and painfully. "You mean this?" she tilted her head and gave him a look. "Or this?" he asked. He shifted farther away and started tapping on the computer. She could feel her blood boil hotter. "Damien, knock it the hell off or I beat you in front of all of these people" she warned. He put the pencil down and held his hands up in mock surrender. "Fine, fine…" he said.

She sighed exhaustively and turned back to her computer. She started typing again and Damien peered over her shoulder. "What ya writin'?" he asked. She pushed his face away and tried to focus on her writing. "This is a really boring job" Damien stated.

"It isn't for those of us actually doing it!" Anna said, in an anger-raised voice.

"Easy," Damien said. "Don't get your panties in a wad." Anna took a deep breath and stood. She put on her jacket and dragged Damien to his feet by his ear. She grabbed his arm tightly and dragged him into the elevator.

Anna still had a hold on Damien's arm as she exited the elevator at Queen Consolidated. She walked up to Felicity's desk and finally let go of Damien. He rubbed his arm and looked at her innocently. "God, you are just like-"

"Anna?" Felicity asked, walking behind her desk. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak with Oliver" Anna said. Just then Oliver opened the door to his office and Anna walked to him. "I couldn't leave him at my house because he'd break something, so I took him to work. I don't think I can last one more second of him. I don't know what to do with him" Anna vented.

"Felicity doesn't think he's that annoying" Oliver said, looking over Anna's shoulder. Anna frowned and turned and, in fact, Felicity and Damien had sparked up a conversation. He was obviously flirting with her and she didn't seem to mind. Anna sighed and crossed her arms. "All I had to do was bring him near a girl" she grumbled. Oliver chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn back toward him. "I was hoping we could talk tonight" he said.

"Sure, what about?" she asked.

"You'll find out" he said, and she smiled. She turned and walked past Damien, grabbing a fist-full of his jacket and pulling him along. "Come on, lover boy" she said, pressing the elevator button. As Anna dragged Damien into the elevator, he called, "I'll call you!" as he pointed at Felicity.

Anna and Damien walked the sidewalk further into Starling City. Anna showed Damien around and he stopped off at a hot dog stand before rejoining Anna. "Why are you staying? Why don't you just go back?" Anna asked, as they walked.

"Our friend wanted me to keep an eye on things for a few days," Damien said, around a mouth full of hot dog. "Make sure everything's going okay."

"Ah, and how _is_ Barbie doing?" Anna asked. Damien chuckled. "As you'd expect" he said.

"Why didn't she just come?" she asked.

"She's going to, but she's busy with some things at the BC" he said. Anna nodded and they crossed the busy street. They passed a woman with reddish-brown hair looking at a map and glancing at road signs on the street corner. Anna stopped and went to her. "Are you lost?" she asked. The woman looked up at her. "Oh, yes, um…could you show me where The Police Department is?" she asked.

"Sure" Anna said, gesturing for her to follow as she started down the sidewalk. Damien and the woman followed shortly behind. They crossed the road to the Police Department and walked inside. "Thank you, um…?" the woman said, looking at Anna.

"Anna. Anna Rogue" Anna said, holding out a hand. The woman shook her hand. "Lois Lane" she said. Anna and Damien shared a glance as Lois walked past them. "Does Clark know she's here?" Damien asked, in a hushed tone. Anna hit him in the abdomen with her forearm as she pushed the door open to leave. Damien followed her out and Anna started down the sidewalk.

_**Later That Night…**_

Anna sat on the couch, folding a leg under herself. Oliver sat next to her and he turned toward her. "I've been thinking about our relationship" he said, entwining his hand in hers. Anna chuckled nervously. "I should be scared, right?" she asked, sarcastically. Still chuckling from Anna's comment, Oliver said, "I think we're ready for the next step." Anna sighed. "What did Sophia say? She filled your head will all those stupid relationship principles, didn't she?" she asked.

"No, Anna, I'm serious," he said.

"The next step as in…living together?" she asked.

"Yes" he said.

"So, we would move into an apartment together…you think we're ready for that?" she asked. He leaned forward and slowly connected his lips with hers. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "You tell me" he said.

"Yeah," she said, leaning in to kiss him. "We're ready." She kissed him forcefully and he kissed back just the same. She loosely hung her arms around his neck and lifted a leg over his to straddle his lap. He brushed her hair over her shoulder and trailed kisses down her neck, eliciting a string of gasps and moans from her. "How about we go upstairs?" she whispered, seductively, in his ear. A low growl was her answer.

She stood and walked to the glass stairs. He started to follow as she started up. She hurried into her bedroom with Oliver on her heels and she shut the door behind them. She turned the lock as Oliver pushed her against the door. He slowly started un-buttoning her long-sleeved blouse, revealing her green lace bra. He smirked at the color. "It was either this or red," she said, shrugging off her shirt. "And somehow I thought green was more your color."

He cupped her face and kissed her and she took the opportunity to un-buckle his belt. Once his pants were off, she shimmied out of hers, leaving her in only her bra and the panties that matched. Oliver took a minute to rake his eyes over every inch of her. She noticed this and slyly smiled. She stepped close to him and gently brushed her lips against his, tantalizingly.

She pulled his shirt over his head and pushed him backwards until the backs of his knees hit the bed. She smiled and pushed him down onto the bed, then climbed atop him. She sat up, straddling his waist, and unclasped her bra. She pulled it off and tossed it back onto the floor. Oliver put his hands on her hips and ran them up her curves to her breasts. She chuckled mischievously and pried his hands off of her skin.

She pushed his hands behind his head and pulled open a drawer in the nightstand beside them. She pulled out a pair of silver hand cuffs and shut the drawer. Then she cuffed one of Oliver's hands and wrapped the other cuff around a pole in the head board before clasping it onto his other wrist. She leaned down and kissed below his ear and trailed slow kisses down his neck, whilst she ran her hands over the taut muscles of his abdomen.

He moaned and tugged at the cuffs. He knew Anna was power hungry when it came to sex, but he never thought she'd use hand cuffs to make sure she stayed in control. He balled his hands into fists when her tongue slid along his skin.

Anna hooked her thumbs into his boxer's waist band and started pulling them down at an antagonizingly slow pace. She kissed and licked the skin that was continually exposed as she pulled them down until his manhood sprung free. She tossed his boxers away and took him in her mouth, causing him to groan in pleasure. She brought him to the edge and then backed off just before he fell.

She repeated the process several times. After she was through there, she wriggled out of her panties and lowered herself close to his erection. She made like she was going to lower herself onto him and then pulled away, causing a low growl of frustration from his throat. Finally she lowered herself onto him and gasped at the feeling.

She rocked her hips in a steady rhythm and Oliver moaned. She continued her rhythm until she could feel him reaching the edge and then pulled away. He raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. She leaned forward and un-clasped the hand cuffs. She had just enough time to put them on the nightstand before Oliver flipped them so she was underneath. He kissed her fervently whilst his hands roamed over her body. She moaned against his mouth in response.

He didn't waste time thrusting into her, causing her to arch her back and gasp and clutch at the sheets. He picked up a rhythm of thrusting into her deeply that caused his name to fall from her lips. It sparked an animalistic feeling inside of him he'd never felt with anyone but her.


	14. Episode 14: Just Us

**A/N: **Warning: This chapter contains fluff and smut. Those with allergies to such things should skip ahead.

_**Episode 14: Just Us**_

Anna sighed as she flipped to the next page of apartments for rent in Starling City. She looked over the outside and inside pictures of the three apartments splayed out on the pages and then flipped the page again. "You don't look impressed" Oliver pointed out, sitting next to her.

"I am…" she said.

"But?" he asked.

"But," she said, as he started trailing slow kisses down her neck. "I don't know…they just don't scream _us_, you know?" he hummed in agreement as his kisses came to her cheek and then met her lips. Anna pulled away and looked at him as seriously as she could. "Oliver, I'm serious" she said, forcing back a smile. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her between his legs so that her back was against his chest and opened the brochure in her lap. "Then, if you're that serious about it, let's look together" he said, resting his chin on her shoulder.

She chuckled lightly and smiled as she flipped to the page of apartments she was looking at. There were flat, one-level apartments, there were two to three levels, and they looked interesting but they didn't seem worth looking at. Then, near the back, was an apartment that stood out to Anna. It was a two-level apartment with a wide open living room, dining room, and kitchen on level one. Level one had dark wood floors and crème walls with wide windows that overlooked the Starling City skyline.

Level two was entered by an open, metal, winding staircase that was in the middle-left of level one. Level two was beige carpeted with plenty of windows. It had a Master and Guest Bedroom—an individual bathroom in each—and a studio half the size of the Guest Bedroom. The apartment was on the second to highest level of a skyscraper close to Queen Consolidated and a walk away from the Starling Gazette building. "What do you think?" Oliver asked, as they looked over the pictures.

"I think it's perfect. What do you think?" she asked, swiveling to look at him.

"I think we should go see it" he said. Anna smiled and leaned back to kiss him. A knock on the door soured the moment and Anna pushed the covers away and crawled off the bed. She pulled down on the hem of her long grey T-shirt before opening the door a few inches. Damien turned to look at her when she opened the door. "What?" Anna asked.

"Is that cool if I leave the house for a while?" Damien asked.

"Yeah, sure, why did you ask?" Anna asked.

"Well, you don't want me being _in_ the house alone, so I thought I'd make sure it wasn't the same for outside" he said.

"Okay, so then be back before eight. Feel better?" she asked.

"Yes. Yes, I do. Thank you for that. Oh, and please tell Oliver I said hello" Damien said, sarcastically before turning and descending the stairs. Anna rolled her eyes and stepped back to close the door. She sighed and turned back toward the bed. "Damien said hi" she said. Oliver chuckled and patted the spot next to him. She smiled and ran and jumped onto the bed in a heap. She sat up and he pulled her next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

Anna sat up and looked him in the eye. "Are we really doing this? It just…it just doesn't feel real," she said, excitement visible in her eyes.

"Of course we're doing this. I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else" he said.

"Even though no one has said it publicly, there's been this pressure on me to get married and start a family. And to not be the only one of us Wayne's that doesn't carry that on. Sophia is two years younger than me and she's married with a baby on the way.  
Damien is five years older than me and—despite the fact that he flirts with ever girl in sight—he has a girlfriend. Anyway, long story short, I just never really thought I'd have a long term boyfriend—let alone move in with a guy-" she rambled.

"Anna," Oliver said, cupping her cheek with his hand. "I love you." she smiled and slung her arms around his neck. "I love you, too" she said. He smiled and leaned forward, and she met him half way, kissing him passionately. He kissed her back just as passionately and pulled her down with him under the covers. He slid her T-shirt over her head and tossed it away, feeling her heated skin where it used to be.

Anna ran a hand over his toned muscle and he turned them so he was more on top of her, kissing up and down her neck and chest. She giggled at the sensation of his tongue between her breasts. He barely had to shift at all to enter her with his erection and she moaned at the tidal wave of emotions washing over her at the contact. He started slowly thrusting into her and she met each thrust with her own.

He growled as she ran her nails across his shoulder blades. She moaned his name as he picked up the pace, thrusting faster and deeper into her. She arched her back on a particularly rough thrust that sent a shockwave through her. Anna's lips crushed into Oliver's in a mess of passion and lust, as Anna could feel her orgasm approaching.

She felt Oliver tense just as she fell into her orgasm, arching her back and crying out. Oliver's came with a string of obscenities forced through clenched teeth. He pulled out and lay as close as possible to Anna. She put her arms around his middle, pulling herself to press against him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her against himself further.

He nestled his lips next to her ear. "_I'm an angel with a shotgun, fighting 'til the war's won, I don't care if heaven won't take me back. I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don't you know you're everything I have?_" he whispered, lyrics from her favorite song (Angel with a Shotgun by The Cab).

She felt like crying. Anna always thought when guys sing/say lyrics to girls was romantic. And she'd told Oliver that days ago. And here Oliver was, whispering lyrics from her favorite song into her ear after making love. She pulled him closer. "God, I love you," she said. He shifted and kissed behind her ear then down to the crook of her neck. "How did I ever live without you?"


	15. Episode 15: Visitation

**A/N: **Thank you to highlander348, for the awesome idea showcased at the near end of this chapter!  
And thank you guys for the 17 favs and 24 follows!

_**Episode 15: Visitation**_

Anna jittered with anticipation as the relator unlocked the bolt lock on the door. Oliver put an arm around her waist upon noticing her nervousness. She smiled at him just before the door was open. The relator opened the door and led them into the apartment. Anna couldn't believe how much better it looked in real life compared to the pictures. The wide window to the far left lit up the open living room and dining room, and lit up the archway into the open kitchen.

Anna walked up the rot iron, spiral staircase to the second level and went into the first room she saw. The Studio. It had a nice window in the far back and a great space for a possible nursery in the future. Anna shook the thought from her mind and went to the next room down the hall. The Master Bedroom. It opened into the studio to the right with a high archway. The bathroom was to the far left next to a space Anna could see putting a bed.

Anna casually went from room to room, mentally arranging furniture in certain places. She rejoined Oliver downstairs on level one who was talking with the relator. He smiled at her when she stepped off the stairs. "So? What do you think?" he asked.

"I love it," she said, stopping in front of him. "But what do _you_ think of it?" he glanced around the room with a nod. "I think it's great" he said, smiling at her enthusiasm.

"So, do we want to look at other apartments, or are we choosing this one?" the relator asked. Oliver put an arm around Anna's shoulders and turned to the relator. "We're choosing this one" he said. Anna smiled and turned to him. "Really?" she asked.

"Really" he said. She squealed a little and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, to which he chuckled. She pulled away and found she couldn't stop smiling, no matter how hard she tried. The relator then handed Oliver the keys and some paperwork.

_**Later that Day…**_

Anna sighed exhaustively after putting the last box of things into their new apartment. Damien wiped sweat from his forehead and stood upright from moving the couch. "Please tell me that's it" he said, sauntering over to Anna by the kitchen. Anna sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, lazy. That's it" she said.

"Thank _god_!" he said, in sarcastic relief. Anna chuckled and started carrying the bedroom and bathroom boxes up the stairs. "Since you're not busy, grab some of the boxes labeled _bedroom_ and bring them up" she called down the stairs. Damien sighed ruefully and started picking up boxes.

Anna put the boxes she'd carried up the stairs at the end of the bed in the Master Bedroom. Damien came in a second later with two boxes and she directed him on where to put them based on their contents. She went back downstairs and started pushing furniture around. Damien breathed heavily as he came down the stairs. "You are insane. Has anyone ever told you that?" he asked.

"Once or twice" she replied, fixing the coffee table to be in line with the couch. By the time night fell, Anna and Damien had the whole down stairs neat and organized. But the upstairs was still quite the mess. There was a knock on the door and Anna glanced at Damien suspiciously. He held his hands up. "Wasn't me" he said. She sighed and went to the door. She unlocked it and opened it, revealing a person she never thought she'd see at her door. "Barbara!" she said, excitedly.

"Hi, Anna!" Barbara said, stepping in to give Anna a hug.

"When did you get in?" Anna asked, closing the door behind them.

"About an hour ago" Barbara said.

"Why didn't you call? I could've picked you up at the airport" Anna said.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, and it's not like I can't handle the typical cab driver" she said.

"Yay," Damien said. "We're all back together! Go team!" Barbara rolled her eyes and turned toward him. "When will you ever grow up, Damien?" she asked.

"When you grow a pair" he said.

"Guys, seriously? We all haven't been in the same room since my high school graduation. You could at least try to act like you like each other," Anna said. Barbara turned back to Anna and smiled. "Always the peacemaker" she said.

"Always the one put in that position" Anna said, sarcastically. Barbara and Anna laughed and Damien refrained from rolling his eyes. He squeezed past them and opened the door. "I'll see you guys later" he said, before closing the door behind him as he left. Barbara rolled her eyes and shook her head. "That boy…" she said.

"Is hopeless" Anna said. She ushered Barbara into the living room and they sat on the couch. Barbara looked around the first level and raised her eyebrows. "When did you move in here?" she asked.

"Today," Anna said, noticing Barbara had a small black suitcase in her hand. "What's that?"

"This is yours" she said. She gave it to Anna and gestured for her to open it. Anna curiously popped open the dual locks and lifted the lid. Inside was a neatly folded, black leather/nylon suit that was conformed for the body from collar bone to ankle. On the chest was a silhouetted bat with outstretched wings. Anna pulled it out and noticed the bat shone in the light. "Why are you giving me my old costume?" Anna asked.

"Because you're gonna need it." Anna raised an eyebrow at her and she elaborated. "I have a lead on some illegal Vertigo traders in the area. Feel like reenacting your debut?" Anna sighed and then smiled. "When don't I?" she asked.

"Then you better change" Barbara said, gesturing to the outfit. Anna stood and went upstairs. She undressed then pulled on the skin tight suit. She zipped it up the front and left her hair down before putting on her old mask. It was the same material as the bat on her chest and had an epoxy that helped hold the mask in place that lined the edges. She put on her black, flat-heeled boots and went back downstairs. Barbara had changed into her outfit—a black suit with a yellow bat outstretched on the chest, a black mask, and a black-yellow lined cape attached at the shoulders.

Barbara held out a four inch long, black, metal stick and Anna took it in her palm. She slid it into a tight pouch on the right hip of her outfit and they headed out the door.

Traveling using rooftops wasn't as easy as Anna remembered. But ti was easy enough. Barbara landed on her feet behind Anna and started walking while looking at a small black device in the shape of the Bat symbol on their chests. Anna followed slowly behind, searching the area with her eyes for any people.

"Domino, come check this out" Barbara called over her shoulder, standing at the flat edge of the roof. Anna jogged across to her side and looked at the device over her shoulder. "We've got a drug sale going down a few feet below us. What do you say we crash it?" Barbara asked.

"I'm game" Anna said. Barbara nodded and slid her device into a pouch on her outfit. She vaulted in a forward flip over the edge of the building and Anna could barely hear her soft landing. "Show off" she muttered. Anna vaulted back in her signature backflip over the edge and landed solidly on the ground below.

She had just enough time to duck a punch. She pulled out the four inch black stick and, with a flick of the wrist, it grew in length to three feet long. Anna stood upright, twisted sideways, and slammed the end of the stick into the guy that tried to hit her. He cried out and hit the ground and another came at her.

She went to make her move until an arrow lodged into the man's leg below the knee and he crumpled to the ground. Anna stole a glance right and saw the 'hood' had joined them, keeping his distance to shoot arrows. She turned back to the guy that just got shot in the leg with an arrow and connected her fist with his jaw.

Anna and Barbara fought back-to-back the remaining three guys until all three were unconscious. "You've still got it" Barbara said, turning to Anna.

"Did I ever lose it?" Anna asked, with a cocky smile. They both chuckled and Barbara noticed the 'hood' standing a few feet away and walking to them. Anna noticed as well and shortened her stick before slipping it into her pouch. She picked up the vials full of Vertigo on the ground while Barbara and the 'hood' started talking. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Batgirl. You must be the vigilante. I hope you don't mind, but we took care of the drug trade for you" Barbara said. Anna stood upright after collecting all of the vials and went back to Barbara's side. She held out the vials to the 'hood' without saying a word.

He took them and eyed her for a second, and she held her breath. When he looked away without saying anything, she inwardly sighed in relief. "Why are you in my city?" he asked, looking at Barbara.

"Just visiting" Barbara said. She turned and started walking and motioned for Anna to follow. Anna glanced warily at the 'hood' before following. She was relieved he didn't notice her. Maybe it was the different costume? Or the hair being down behind the mask? She didn't know.

Just then an arrow whizzed by and stuck in the street light beside Barbara. They both stopped and Barbara shook her head as she turned around. "I don't want to fight you, _Arrow_" Barbara called.

"B, don't-" Anna whispered, turning to her. Another arrow flew at Barbara and she caught it before it reached her face. She sighed and tossed it away. She started toward the 'hood' and Anna grimaced knowing what was going to happen. Anna turned the other way so she wouldn't have to watch.

She heard Barbara's swift kicks and punches and strikes and she heard them make contact every time. She had enough and walked to them. She pulled Barbara away and threw her sideways. She stayed on her feet but skidded away and looked at Anna. "WTF?" Barbara asked.

"Both of you quit it!" Anna said. She turned to the 'hood'. "We are not your enemy. Don't treat us as though we are or it will be a two way street" she said, sternly. She turned back to Barbara and forcefully motioned for her to get moving.

Barbara went to the side of the building they'd previously been on and held up what looked like a gun. She shot it toward the roof and a grappling hook latched the side of the roof. Barbara mock saluted and then the rope pulled her up to the roof, swinging her over the top. Anna started to follow when the 'hood' said behind her, "Who are you?"

She stopped and slowly half turned to see him. "Domino works fine" she said. She then turned and used her own grappling hook to zing to the roof. Once on the roof Anna smacked Barbara's arm. "You idiot!" she said, in a whisper-yell. "He's the frickin' Vigilante and you gaud him into fighting you? What the deuce?"

"Calm down, D. You have to build up your reputation again. And this is the perfect way to do it" Barbara said.

Later That Night…

Anna walked down the stairs after changing out form her suit just as Oliver walked in the door. She smiled and walked to him, feeling a pang of guilt for tonight's events. She kissed him. "Anna, do you know of a masked girl that goes by Batgirl?" Oliver asked, pulling away from the kiss.

"No, not really. Why?" she asked.

"Because a Batgirl and Domino showed up at a Vertigo drug trade tonight" he said. She shrugged and shook her head while walking back toward the stairs. "Nope…doesn't ring a bell."


	16. Episode 16: Change in Plans Part One

**A/N: **Someone asked me the other day, "_Why do you call them Episodes_?" and that got me thinking, and I decided that there is going to be Seasons including the Episodes like a TV show. So, this is season one. Season two will be after at least 28 Episodes. So there will be at least 12 more Episodes before we take a short break and then usher in Season two. Just thought I'd elaborate…I'll shut up now.  
Enjoy!

_**Episode 16: Change in Plans—Part One **_

Anna hummed to an unknown tune as she typed away at her computer. She'd been writing since eight AM and now it was two o'clock in the afternoon. Most of her time writing, though, was spent staring at the screen trying to _think_ of something to write. She stopped and sat back in her chair. She sighed and stood, after shutting off the computer. She pulled on her jacket and headed to the elevator.

She just pressed the elevator button when her phone buzzed. She dug it out of her pocket and unlocked the screen. A text message. She opened the message and read it, **I am needed in life but not in death and you can't start fun without me. What am I? –B **She instantly knew the answer to the question, but didn't recognize the initial or the phone number used. The elevator door opened and she stepped in. She pressed L and the doors closed. She looked at her phone again. She hit _reply_ and typed in, **F  
**_Unknown Number:_** A poison of the soul, passion's cruel counterpart. From love she grows, 'til love lies slain. Of what do I speak? –A  
**_Me_**: Jealousy  
**_Unknown Number_**: What comes at night without being fetched and is lost during the day without being stolen? –R  
**_Me_**: The Stars  
**_Unknown Number_**: F. Jealousy. Stars. Ring a bell? –R  
**Anna frowned. She didn't know what one had to do with the other. She ran the letters of initials in her head, _BARR_. Then it clicked and her eyes snapped back to her phone.  
Me: **Barracuda. How did I not see it was you on the first initial?  
**Unknown Number**: I'm just that good. But seriously, Domino, does it ring a bell?  
**Me**: Starling City park, 2007  
**Unknown Number**: That's my girl. You know the meet spot  
**Anna sighed and shoved her phone in her pocket. The elevator doors opened and she hurried out to her car. She drove to the far north side of Starling City park and turned off her car. she slid on a pair of black sunglasses before she stepped out and shut the door, then walked across the street to a green backed by trees. A dark skinned man that looked to be in his late 20s to early 30s who also wore dark glasses stepped out from behind a tree as her foot touched the grass.

She stopped a foot or two away from him and he glanced down the street. "Were you followed?" he asked, his voice the sound of grinding gravel.

"No," she said, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. "Now why did you need to meet? I thought you were in Smallville." He sighed deeply and looked down the other way of the street. Something was not right, and Anna could tell. "What is it? Are you in trouble? Did the League find you?" she asked, seriously.

"No, I'm not in trouble. I got wind of the League moving some assassins west, so I did some digging. But I couldn't dig up much on my own. I contacted Vic and he said…" he stopped himself with a heavy and depressive sigh.

"What? What did Victor say?" she asked.

"He said…Cassie's dead, D. Nyssa sent three of her guys before you killed her" he said.

"What? She's…she's dead? Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure. The word is they've started a countdown. They're going to start killing us off one-by-one until we're all dead. The League is playing around on this one. they want you dead something fierce" he said. Anna stood up straight and felt a shiver. There was little to no wind and it was summer. She wasn't shivering from the cold….

She ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath as she turned sideways to glance down the street. He shifted back so he was more out of sight of the road. "The hearsay is that Blood has a list—a _numbered_ list—of people that they're going to kill. Damien said you were in it with the vigilante so I thought I'd convince you to get the list, so that you could convince him of its importance" he said.

"Like he'll help me if I tell him what the list is for. He won't help if I'm just trying to save my own ass" she said.

"Then don't tell him. Or tell him a lie, I don't know. But just get the list" he said. Anna sighed but nodded. He turned and started to walk away and Anna started back for her car. when she slid in she pulled off the glasses and shut the door. She started the car and stomped on the gas.

_**Later that Night…**_

Anna—dressed in her Domino suit—landed on her feet atop a string of buildings in the Glades. She walked across and vaulted to the next, landing on her feet with ease. She ran through plans of how to get Oliver's attention without going to him or acting like she knew who he was. She landed on the next roof and an arrow shot past her.

she inwardly smirked and turned around. He stood about four feet from her. to her surprise, his bow was not drawn. _Idiot_, she thought. "I was wondering when you'd show up," she said. "I need your help."

"Why _my_ help?" he asked.

"because I need something from _someone_ and I need someone to go with me that knows this _someone_" she said.

"Who?" he asked.

"Sebastian Blood has something I need" she said. She could feel the air tense between them, and she knew she was treading on sensitive ground. "And what is that?" he asked.

"A list. I don't have time to explain, I just need it. Will you help me retrieve it?" she asked.

**To Be Continued… ****  
**


	17. Episode 17: Change in Plans Part Two

_**Episode 17: Change in Plans—Part Two**_

At first Oliver just stared at her behind his mask, and Anna only gazed back with a confident yet pleading look. She knew he was thinking about it but she wished he would hurry up and answer. "Fine" he finally answered. Anna held back a breath of relief and simply nodded, like she'd expected that answer. She walked past him and motioned for him to follow.

As he followed Anna gave the little details she could about the list. She feared if she said anything more he would know it was her—and she preferred to keep that a secret. Domino was her old handle from before she left Gotham for good. "Who is the list for?" he asked. Anna briefly ignored him while she vaulted to the next roof. She landed on her feet and braced her knees by bending slightly, then straightening. "It's for a colleague of mine" she said, as he came to stand next to her.

"Who do you work for?" he asked, as she started walking again. She sighed, annoyed, and kept walking. "I work for myself and I work with my allies" she answered. They made the rest of the way to Sebastian Blood's manor in silence.

They stood on one of the four, four-sided corners of the roof. Each four-sided corner had a thin walkway the size of a small sidewalk connecting them. In the center was the glass roof that looked into the ballroom area of the manor. Anna walked to the edge closest to the glass roof and knelt down.

She pulled a gun out of her belt and turned it sideways in her hand to see a row of different colored buttons. "What are you going to do? Shoot the glass?" Oliver asked, behind her. She pressed the third button from the left—the blue button. She then cocked the gun and aimed at a spot nearest her on the glass. She pulled the trigger and a little blue dart shot out, hitting the glass with barely a sound.

The glass around the dart started a frost that spread to three feet in diameter and then stilled to a stop. The glass then slowly cracked away in little pieces the size of dust particles, starting at the dart and moving outward the the three feet mark on all side, until it was gone. Anna slid her gun back in her belt and pulled out a round of wire from her pouch. She dropped down onto her stomach to get closer to the glass roof.

"If we're going to get in we've got to disable the security systems. Most of them are automatic but we can turn off the guards and the really deadly ones" she said, lowering the wire down to the hole.

"That's reassuring" he said.

"Well, it ought to be, seeing as if I don't if this right we're dead" she said. Once the wire was down far enough, she tied it off on an un-even piece of the roof. She sat up and swung her legs off, then slid of black nylon gloves. "I'll be back" she said, glancing over her shoulder. She grabbed the wire and slid off the edge of the roof. She wrapped one leg in wire and held on with her hands, slowly making her way down so her head was just inside the roof.

She used the grip her leg held on the wire to let go completely so she could use both hands. She eyed the black box with a blinking red light on the solid wall beside her as she pulled a compactible screw driver out of her pouch. She un-folded it so it was full size and reached for the box. She pried the door open and inside was a panel of numbered buttons and red blinking lights. "We've got company" Oliver said glancing over the edge at Anna pressing buttons on the black box.

Anna looked up as he moved from the edge to where she couldn't see him. Then a second later a man in black pants, shirt, and a Kevlar vest flew over the edge and fell through the glass. It shattered into a million tiny pieces and the man hit the floor. Anna swung close to the wall as the glass fell so she wouldn't get any on her.

After the glass stopped falling she heard the sound of hand-to-hand and some gun shots from the roof edge above. Then she heard a snap and she, too, fell down and hit the hard wood floor on her right shoulder. She groaned and rolled onto her back.

The man that fell down first had gotten to his feet and he dashed for his gun. Anna rolled back then lurched forward, vaulting off the ground and landing on her feet in one quick motion. She went for the gun as well but the man grabbed it first. He waved it at her with shaking hands and Anna swung a leg up, kicked the gun to the side, and then hoped to the other foot to kick the man. Her foot connected with his jaw and he recoiled back onto the floor.

She turned around at the sound of footsteps as more men filed into the ballroom. One came at her to the left and she easily kicked his gun away, too, and landed a hit to his abdomen with her elbow. He doubled over and dropped to the floor as another came at her. He fired a shot and Anna cartwheeled sideways to avoid it. As she stood upright another didn't waste his time coming for her.

Her fist connected with his jaw and swirled her foot up, kicking his head at the left temple. He dropped to the floor and two more came at her. As they came at her side-by-side, she timed it. She let them get close enough and then she sprung up into the air and shot her legs out, both landing a hit on each forehead. She landed behind them as they flew to the floor.

No more came and that's when she noticed the red lights flashing to signal more from other sections of the house. She stuffed her wire into her pouch and the 'hood' landed behind her with a roll to his feet. He glanced around ta the men on the floor then looked at her with a sort of admiration. She motioned for him to follow her out of the ballroom and he did.

She led down the hallway past the foyer and to the study. She opened the door and cautiously stepped inside. She looked around and noticed several, two inches-by-two inches boxes on the walls, the ceiling, the floor…she knew what they were. Oliver stepped in and she stopped him with an arm across the chest. "Don't," she warned. "It's laser protected." She reached back and pulled out her gun.

She pressed the white button on the side and cocked the gun. She aimed at the floor a few feet out and pulled the trigger. It shot out a small black pellet that bounced onto the floor and hissed, spewing out a white smoke. She put her gun back as the lasers began to become visible. They crisscrossed and parted vertically and went all over the room at crazy angles.

Anna sighed ruefully and glanced at the 'hood'. She looked back at the lasers and secured all of her pouches. She was going to have to weave through somehow to the study desk on the other side. She didn't know quite how she would get through, but it was either that or give up. And Anna was anything but a quitter

_**To Be Continued… **_


	18. Episode 18: Change in Plans Part Three

_**Episode 18: Change in Plans—Part Three**_

Anna took a deep breath and stepped over the laser lining the floor in front of her. She ducked and bent sideways under a laser running along the level of her neck and rose on the other side. She turned to the other lasers and started forward in an intricate twist on her hands. she lifted onto her hands and curled her legs down to fit under the lasers running along the neck-high-level and twisted her left hand around her right to step over another laser running along the ground.

Oliver stood back and decided to guard the door. He looked down the hallway, each way, and then glanced back at Domino. He took a double take when he noticed her slide down into a complete split and roll backwards to avoid another laser. He pried his eyes away and continued only looking at the hallway.

Anna finally made it to the other side and stood upright. She quickly went to the desk and pulled open every drawer, rummaging through it's contents. She changed sides of the desks to look through the other drawers. She pulled open the bottom drawer and rummaged around. She noticed a small silver four-code-lock combination insert. She took a deep breath and started combinations.

After about sixty-million combinations, she finally got the right one. She didn't know which one it was that worked though, because she kept just rolling the numbers until it clicked. A false bottom in the drawer opened, revealing a hand-written list of names. Anna pulled in out, folded it, and zipped it into her pouch. She shut the drawer and started back through the lasers.

It took her a while but she finally got back on the other side. She motioned for the 'hood' to follow as she started down the hallway back toward the ballroom. Anna stopped when men poured into the hallway through a door several yards in front of them. She and the 'hood' both turned around and found that more poured into the hallway at the other end as well.

Anna let out a frustrated breath. "I'll get one side you get the other. Deal?" Anna asked, turning so she was back-to-back with the 'hood'.

"Deal" he replied, drawing his bow. Anna pulled out her gun and pressed the green button. She cocked it back and then aimed at the closest man. She pulled the trigger, shooting a green dart into the neck of the guard. She pivoted and shot two more men in the neck with the darts. They all dropped as soon as the dart hit them. She ran out of darts after five so she shoved the gun away and pulled out her metal stick.

She flicked her wrist and it grew to full length. She started quickly at the first man and kicked his gun away, twisted, and slammed the stick into his back. He was sent forward onto the ground and she went for the next. Oliver shot arrows at the lot that came toward him, like it was effortless. Anna swung her leg up and kicked the last man in the right temple, sending him quivering to the floor.

She twisted at the hips to see the 'hood's progress. He'd just finished off his men and Anna motioned him to follow with a jerk of the head. She started quickly out of the hallway into the ballroom. She stopped suddenly and Oliver nearly ran into her. Sebastian Blood himself stood dead center of the ballroom holding a gun aimed at Anna. His face was stern as he looked at her, recognition flashing in his eyes. "Well, well, well," he said. "Never thought I'd see you in Starling City."

"Let me guess, you're going to threaten us until we give the list, right?" she asked, with dead sarcasm.

"No. I'm going to shoot you. Take the list. Then shoot you're new partner, the Vigilante" he said.

"Please, Bass, like anything you do could get near me enough to hurt me" she said, calling his statement a bluff. Sebastian cocked an eyebrow in a 'wanna bet?' way. He shifted the gun and it's aim fell on Oliver. Anna inwardly stiffened. She didn't want to show it affected her one way or the other. But she also wanted to kill Sebastian for even thinking of aiming a gun at Oliver.

She just straightened and crossed her arms, raising her eye brow. "That's it? You think I care if he dies?" she asked.

"I'm betting you do" Sebastian said.

"Well, obviously I don't because I'm not jumping at the chance to trade places with him. Rethink your strategy" she said. He cocked the gun and Anna swiftly pulled out her gun, switched it back to bullet mode and aimed it at him in five seconds. His lips curved into a devilish smile. "See? I was right" he said.

"No…you weren't. I'm not aiming a gun at you to protect him. I'm aiming a gun at you to kill you" she said, firmly. In one second he changed his aim back to Anna and fired a single shot that ripped through her left shoulder. Her left arm recoiled and she sent a bullet through Sebastian's right shoulder.

Anna's knees buckled and she dropped to the floor. Oliver caught her and gently pulled her back up. She shook her head and found her footing. "Do your hero thing," she said, stumbling to the far wall. "I'll see you around." She pulled out her grappling hook with her right hand and shot it upwards. It latched onto the roof and sling-shoted her up and over the edge.

She unlatched the grappling hook and put it back in her belt. She grabbed her shoulder and finally let the pain show with a wince. She tumbled off the roof into the foliage and started away from the manor on foot and alone. She got to the road and started walking toward the glades. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Barbara. "_Anna, where have you been_?" Barbara's stern voice came through the phone and Anna sighed. "I need a discrete pick-up at the toy factory. And quickly" Anna said.

"_What happened_?" Barbara asked, her voice full of worry.

"Just get the toy factory. Oh, and bring a sewing kit and some gauze" she said. She hung up and put her phone in her pocket. She kept trekking on until she reached the glades. She started to feel a bit dizzy and light headed as she got to the building across from the toy factory. She slumped sideways against the building near the corner.

Barbara noticed this from standing outside her car. She gasped and ran to Anna, helping her stand upright. "Oh my god, you're so pale. What happened?" she asked, leading Anna to the car.

"Long story, Barbie" Anna mumbled, groggily. She stumbled and Barbara picked her up further. She slid her into the back of the car and slid in with her. She shut the door and grabbed the medical kit form the front seat.

After Barbara finished bandaging Anna's wound—leaving her mask on in case they were seen—Anna stumbled out of the car. Barbara got out after her and Anna started walking back toward the building across the street. "What are you doing?" Barbara called.

"I can't be seen in your car. I'll get home on my own" Anna called back, over her shoulder. She focused on what was ahead of her and managed to keep upright as she walked. She was almost out of the glades when she past Verdant. She heard light footsteps and swung around holding up her gun with her right hand. She found herself aiming the 'hood'. She slowly lowered her gun and shoved it into her belt. "Did you get Blood to the hospital?" she asked.

"Yes. Who bandaged you?" he asked.

"A friend of mine" Anna said.

"Why do I get the feeling I know you?" he asked. She paused for a second. "Small world." She turned and continued walking out of the glades. Where she was going, she had no idea. But she was going.


	19. Episode 19: Only You

**A/N**: This Episode's entitled "Only You" because the song with the same name by Ellie Goulding inspired this Episode. I'll explain why after you've read :) also, it helps to listen to the song before reading.  
highlander348; yes I do like that suggestion :) I think I'll use it, too! Thanks!

_**Episode 19: Only You **_

Anna winced as Barbara pulled off the old taped gauze hiding her gunshot wound. Damien sat on the empty floor leaning against the wall as he patched the hole in Anna's suit. He tediously sewed it with swift movement and his brow was creased with concentration. Barbara finished bandaging Anna's wound and stepped back while Anna pulled her black long-sleeve shirt back on.

Anna stood and crossed the empty living room to Damien. "You finished yet?" she asked.

"Almost" he said.

"Well hurry up. I have a meeting with Barracuda in thirty minutes" she said.

"Time shouldn't be a probable," Barbara said. She held out a key ring with a purple bat hanging on it by it's feet. "Take my bike." Anna smile and took the key ring, then Damien stood. He gave her the finished suit and she then slid into it. She zipped it up and grabbed her mask off the kitchen counter. Anna turned back to Barbara and Damien while she put it on as Barbara said, "Should you really be meeting him? I thought you came to Starling City to get away from all of this."

"My friends are in danger, Barbara. It's not like I can just say no" Anna said. She then turned and left the glass house. She walked across the gravel to Barbara's Bat-Bike and swung her leg over the side. She pressed on the key ring-bat's stomach and the bike started. She slipped the key into her pouch and then started out of the driveway.

She stopped the bike outside the toy factory. She swung down the kick stand and slid off. She took a deep breath and entered the factory. Inside, Barracuda stood with his arms crossed by the far wall standing beside a woman also in black leather with black hair. Anna knew who it was instantly and she pulled out her gun and aimed it at her. the woman then swung out a small crossbow and aimed it at Anna. "Easy," Barracuda said.

"Why the hell is _she_ here?" Anna asked, nodding toward the woman.

"Helena is here the same reason as you are—to help" he said.

"I don't buy it" Anna said.

"I don't blame you" Helena said.

"Put the weapons down, will ya?" a man said, as he walked around Anna toward Barracuda. Anna and Helena didn't budge. Their history wasn't the best, and Anna wasn't willing to put her weapon down only to be stabbed in the back. And Helena was just a bitch with parent issues. "Jesus, D," the man said, walking to her. he pointed the barrel of her gun down forcefully and looked her in the eye sternly. "We already have enough blood spilled; I don't need either of you to join the kill count."

She sighed frustratedly and put her gun away in her belt. Helena, too, put her weapon away and Anna glared at her. "How can you trust her? you of all people, Drake, should know she's working with the League" Anna said, glancing at the man.

"We have to all work together on this or none of us come out alive. I don't really have a choice, do i?" Drake asked. Anna straightened and pulled the list out of her pouch. She walked over and handed it to Barracuda. "Got this from Blood tonight" she said. He opened the folded list and his eyes skimmed over the names. "Cassie was number one," he said. He pulled out a pen from his pocket and crossed her name off the list. "Number two is Vic. Then Helena, Drake, me, and Anna. Sarah is below a name I can't read. Mandarin isn't exactly my forte."

Anna peered over his shoulder and read aloud the name. "It means Foreigner," she said. Everyone looked at her in confusion. "Number seven is Stranger." Helena still seemed confused but Drake nodded. "He's been on their hit list since birth. The guy can't stay off of it" he said.

"What are we going to do about this?" Helena asked.

"Well," Barracuda started. "We need to get Victor and Stranger and possibly Sarah here to meet with us. If we have a plan and everyone knows it, we can take out the threat."

"Sounds like Faucet City, O-nine" Drake mumbled.

"No, this is much worse" Anna said.

"I'll get Vic and Sarah on board" Barracuda said.

"I'll track down Stranger" Anna offered.

"Take Helena with you" Barracuda said. Anna glanced at Drake, pleading with him to offer to take her with him. Instead, he nodded to Barracuda in agreement. Anna headed to the door and Helena reluctantly followed. Anna walked out to the Bat-Bike and drake tapped on her shoulder. She turned around with a raised eyebrow. "There's been hush hush going around that Stranger isn't what he used to be," he warned, quietly. "Be careful trying to find him." She nodded and he started past her. She hoped on the bike and started it. Helena got on behind her and Anna spun the back wheel around and sped past Drake, down the deserted road.

Anna wheelied a stop in front of Verdant and Helena scoffed in disappointment. Anna turned off the bike and slid off, followed by Helena. Anna heard footsteps and glanced behind her to see Batgirl walking toward her. "Seriously? You're traveling with this trash?" she asked, stopping in front of Anna.

"Nice to see you, too" Helena said, sarcastically. Batgirl flipped her off and Anna rolled her eyes. The 'hood' appeared a minute later across from Anna. He glanced at Batgirl and Helena then looked back at Domino. "Now there are three" he stated.

"No," Helena said. "There are two dimwits and then there's me."

"She's just coming along" Batgirl clarified. Anna sighed in exasperation. "Do you know of a man that goes by 'Stranger'? we need to find him along that Canary friend of yours. And, yes, it's life or death" Anna said.

"I don't know anyone named Stranger" the 'hood' said. Anna motioned for Batgirl and Helena to stay put and went closer to the 'hood', lowering her voice so only they could hear. "I know you don't owe me any favors, but I _really_ need to find him. That list I needed had his name on it, along with the rest of my allies. And Sarah was on it, too" she said.

"How do you know Sarah?" he asked.

"The same way I know you," she said. "Will you look him up?"

"I'll see what I can do" he said. She nodded in thanks and went back to Helena and Batgirl. Anna slid onto the bike and Helena got on behind. Batgirl walked to a red and black motorcycle beside theirs and got on. Anna and Helena drove off and Batgirl started her bike. "Good seeing you again, Queen" she called, just before speeding after Anna and Helena.

After dropping off the Bat-Bike and Helena, Anna walked into the dark apartment. She hurried up the stairs and into the bedroom. She unzipped the suit and stepped out of it, leaving her in leggings and her black long-sleeve shirt. She hid the suit and mask and boots in the hidden compartment she had installed in the closet.

She then changed into Pajama shorts and a T-shirt that covered her bandages. She heard the door downstairs open and hurriedly turned out the lights. She jumped into bed and pushed under the covers.

**A/N**: 'Only You' is for the relationship between Helena and Anna. If you don't get it, listen to the song, and _you will_ get it.


	20. Episode 20: Stranger

_**Episode 20: Stranger **_

Anna used her time sitting at her desk to research Stranger. She'd only known him for two years, but it was long enough for a friendship. They'd never seen exactly eye-to-eye on a few things but that didn't matter. She had a cell phone number listed for him in her phone but the number didn't work.

A long time ago, Anna, Barracuda, Drake, Victor, and Cassie all chose handles as so to not use their real names. Stranger chose, well, Stranger without telling anyone his real name. It made him impossible to search out, as Anna was figuring out now. She sighed frustratedly and leaned back in her chair. Her shoulder twinged slightly and she winced. "What did you do to your shoulder?" Cheryl asked.

"Oh," Anna said, sitting upright. "I just lifted too many boxes moving in yesterday." Complete lie. But she couldn't tell Cheryl that. She couldn't tell Cheryl anything. "Oh, yeah, how did that go?" Cheryl asked, eyes not leaving her computer screen.

"Great" Anna said. She stood and carefully pulled on her jacket. She zipped it up and started for the elevator. She pressed the _down _button and her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and unlocked the screen. A text message. She sighed and stepped into the now open elevator and pressed _Lobby_. She opened the message and read it. **Unknown Number**: _We've got V and S-1_ The elevator doors shut as Anna mentally gathered the information she'd dug up on Stranger.

_**Later That Day…**_

Anna met Helena and Barbara at her old glass house—which hadn't sold yet. All three sat at the kitchen counter on the bar stools with the collective paper and electronic information they'd gathered separately. They started cross referencing, trying to connect dots. "Is there anything that stands out?" Anna asked.

"Well, you worked side-by-side with Stranger," Helena said, leaning back while holding onto the counter. "Shouldn't _you_ know?" just then, Barbara handed Anna a file with the Mandarin word for _Foreigner_ typed across the manila. "I found this in the archives at the BC. Most of it is blacked out, but I think you can get a general description" she said. Anna opened it and splayed it across the counter.

She was right; most of the papers' writing was blacked out. But there was a picture with the file. Anna pulled it closer to her eyes and squinted, trying to recognize any facial features. It was black and white and printed with the paper so it was distorted. She still recognized it, though. It was Stranger. "Who is this? Do you have a name?" Anna asked.

"Slade Wilson" Helena said, peering over Anna's shoulder. Barbara sighed in annoyance. "Yes, as I would have said, if you hadn't interrupted me, _Helena_" she said.

"Oh, grow up" Helena said.

"Bitch" Barbara mumbled. Helena looked at her and was about to recoil with something overly offensive when Anna silenced them with a wave of the hand. "Stop it" she said, calmly yet firmly. They both reluctantly settled into their seats without looking at one another. Anna rolled her eyes and turned back to the picture on the paper. _Slade Wilson_? She thought. Anna then had a brilliant thought and slid off the stool. "You guys stay here and keep this up—whatever _this is_—and I'll be back later" she said, starting for the door. "Okay!" Helena shouted back, as Anna left the house. "Good not talking to you."

Anna shut the door to her car and hurriedly pulled out her cell phone. She dialed number nine on speed dial and waited for the other end to stop ringing. On the third ring, Sarah picked up. "_Anna, why are you still using your cell phone? You should have dumped it days ago_" she said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But, Sarah, remember when you told about the island? And the people you were with? Does the name _Slade Wilson_ ring a bell?" Anna asked.

"_What does this have to do with Slade_?" Sarah asked, suddenly sounding guarded.

"He's Stranger—the other lost team mate we've been looking for. I'm going to talk to him" Anna replied.

"_Anna_," Sarah warned. "_Don't_. _He's not what he was when you worked with him. He's changed—and not for the better_." Drake's words echoed in Anna's mind and she realized Drake already knew. "Sarah, don't you think I know that? I can handle it. Just tell Barracuda for me, okay?" Anna said, hanging up. She put her phone back into her pocket and started the car.

_**Later That Night…**_

Anna heeded Sarah's warning—even though secretly she'd wanted to just walk in—dressing in her black suit and mask, her typical straight hair-style, and of course her gun tucked tightly at the small of her back. Security was tight but she made it fine to his office door. She pushed the doors open and stepped inside the large office room, ready to take her gun out if necessary.

Stranger—Slade—sat at a grey desk at the far end of the room, his legs propped up on the edge of the desk and his hands folded in his lap. He looked the same, to her, except for the eye patch. That was new. Anna took cautious yet confident looking steps up to a few feet from the desk. "Anna" He regarded her, his voice a deep rasp.

"Stranger. Or is it Slade now? I wasn't sure which one you preferred…" she nodded, keeping her voice even. He slid his legs off the desk and sat up in his chair, clearing his throat. "What brings you in?" he asked. "Certainly you must not be here for a business matter."

"Definitely not, no. I'm here because of a list of names in my possession. The names represent who will die and when, according to the League of Assassins. Your name was on the list" she said, casually folding her arms at her waist.

"Then you're here to kill me or something?" he asked.

"No," she said, sounding offended. She scoffed. "Shows how much trust is left in our barrel."

"Alright, I'll bite. What do you want?" she straightened with her hands loosely at her sides. She took a deep breath and spoke evenly. "I wanted to warn you. After all once a partner always a partner—or at least that's how it is for me. Not sure how you villains feel any more these days, but I thought I'd keep you in the loop…especially considering what happened w-"

"Thank you, Anna, really," he interrupted, patience growing thin. "But, as you can see I'm fine here. You can see your way to the door."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," she said, turning to the door. She pulled out a door and turned slightly to see him. "See you later, Alligator." She turned and left the room, momentarily glancing down at the unconscious bodies of the guards she'd knocked out.

Slade sighed heavily and squeezed a pen in his fist. "In a while…" he said, quietly. He turned his chair slightly to see a silver picture frame on the desk—hidden from view of guests. The frame held a picture of him only a bit younger and almost clean-shaven and a young girl with jet black hair and piercing green eyes. "Crocodile…."


	21. Episode 21: Hell is Short for Helena

_**Episode 21: Hell is Short For Helena **_

Domino, Batgirl, Helena, Drake, Barracuda, Victor, and Sarah all stood in the toy factory. Anna told everyone about finding Stranger—minus the part where his real name was Slade Wilson. If they knew that, she feared, then they wouldn't be as apt to trust him anymore. Not that he deserved their trust anymore. "So that's it?" Drake asked, after she'd finished.

"What else is there?" Anna asked.

"He just let you walk away without a hitch…I don't but it," Drake said, crossing his arms with a shake of his head. "Stranger doesn't just let people walk away."

"What are you saying?" Anna asked, suddenly feeling all the eyes turn to her.

"I'm saying maybe you two are going soft again" he said.

"Again?" Helena asked.

"That's ridiculous," Anna said, ignoring Helena. "Stranger and I had our time and now we've both moved on. What, you think I'm a double agent? Are you serious?"

"You're a double agent already," Helena pointed out. "You've been lying to Oliver for a few weeks now. Lying about where you've been going, who you are with—and then you come here and work with us. Sounds pretty iffy to me." Batgirl scoffed. "You aren't a part of _us_" she said, glaring at Helena.

"Agreed" Sarah said, glancing at the two.

"Guys," Barracuda said, raising his hands in a 'calm down' motion. "No one is a double agent here. No more accusations, got it?" everyone nodded and Anna couldn't help glancing in Drake's direction. He'd always been a close friend of hers and yet there he was, the first one to accuse her of being a double agent. Boy, did that hurt. "Now. Everyone needs to be on their game twenty-four/seven. Stay in touch. There are times to check in on the conference call that must not be taken lightly. Dismissed" Victor said.

Anna hurriedly left and went to the Bat-Bike—by day disguised as a plain black Ducati. She couldn't believe how easy it was for Drake to call her a traitor. After all the things she'd done for him he had the nerve to say she was a double agent. Which, she clearly was not. She swung her leg on and started the bike. She spun the back wheel and sped out of the Glades, not waiting to talk to Drake.

_**Three Hours Later…**_

Anna walked into the apartment at near four AM. She'd changed into her normal clothes somewhere else in case she ran into Oliver on her entry. She tip toed up the metal staircase and quietly slipped into the bedroom. She shut the door without any noise occurring. She tip toed over to the bed and slid in next to a still Oliver.

His back was turned to her but he seemed to be asleep. She quietly slid under the blanket until she was shoulder-deep and let out a silent breath of relief. Then Oliver promptly rolled over to face her and she sighed, pushing the blanket down to her waist. "Where were you?" he asked, quietly as if he might wake someone.

"Out" she said, stiffly.

"For the past week now you've been 'out'. And when you leave in the morning you don't come back until five AM. Anna, what's going on?" he asked. She turned onto her side to face him. The room was nearly pitch black but she could still see the concern in his eyes, feel the tension between them. She took his hand, wove her fingers in with his. "Nothing you need to worry about" she said.

Just then Anna's phone buzzed and started playing a ringtone while showing a picture of Drake. She sighed in annoyance and sat up, swinging her legs off the bed. She pulled out her phone and answered. "What do you want?" she asked. Her answer would have been much harsher but Oliver was listening so she calmed it down to the PG version. "_We need to talk. Not on the phone. Somewhere untraceable_."

"You son of a—look…It's almost five AM now, I don't have the tolerance to deal with you. So we will talk later, okay? Goodbye" she said. She then hung up and put her cell phone on the nightstand. She let out a frustrated yet exhausted breath and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands.

Oliver sat up and scooted up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and kissing her neck gently. "Anna…You know you can tell me anything" he said, softly. She groaned in indecision and leaned back against him. "Yeah. I will tell you, just…not now. Okay?" he nodded silently, accepting her unwillingness to open up, then pulled her down to lie next to him.

_**Two Hours Later…**_

Anna startled when a hasty rap on the door sounded up the stairs. She heard one more rap and then the sound of the door opening. She assumed it was Damien but she shot up and grabbed her gun out of the nightstand drawer just in case. Oliver stood as well and followed her to the door as she tip toed out of the room.

She only made it a foot out of the room before running into Helena. Her eyes went wide and she immediately held the gun up, aiming at her forehead. Helena rolled her eyes and switched her weight from on foot to the other as if she expected Anna's behavior. "Helena?" Anna heard Oliver say from behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Anna asked her.

"It's not safe for you here anymore," Helena said, keeping her eyes on Anna. Anna noticed the genuine emotion in her tone and the serious expression on her face. It surprised her. "Victor and Drake pulled a Robin and overheard a conversation between two of the League's assassins. Ra's is coming here."

"What? Why?" Anna asked, dropping the gun to her side.

"He's skipping ahead, fast forwarding his plans. He's skipping all the way to you" Helena said. Anna stiffened momentarily before hurrying to the closet. She pulled out the false-wall panel and pulled out her suit, mask, and boots while Helena spoke to Oliver. Anna changed into her outfit and walked back to them at the door. She slid her gun into her belt and put on her mask as she stopped beside Oliver.

Helena's eyes momentarily widened but she recovered from the shock quickly. Oliver, though, stared at her with a look of a mixture between being proud and being pissed. Helena motioned for them to follow as she started for the stairs and Anna did. Oliver shook his head before grabbing his jacket and following.

Helena led Anna and Oliver into the toy factory where Victor, Drake, and Batgirl were all gathered. Batgirl couldn't hide her surprise at seeing Oliver—dressed as the 'hood'—walk in behind Anna. Victor rose his eyebrows but Drake looked as if he'd expected it. Anna went straight to Victor. "What did you hear?" she asked.

"We overheard a conversation between two of the League's assassins here in Starling City. They were saying how they needed to make sure everything was in place for Ra's to arrive" Victor said.

"Then they said why," Drake said. "Apparently you've sparked some need to 'tie up loose ends' in the Al Ghul family." Anna nodded, absorbing the information. Anna then turned around and walked up to Helena so that only inches separated them. She looked into Helena's eyes with a fire in her irises. "You ever come into my home like that again," Anna warned. "And I'll make you wish you were dead."

"You tried that before, remember? Didn't work out so well" Helena countered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I didn't know what the hell I was doing. Things got messy. This time it'll be a clean cut, that I can promise you" Anna said. Victor walked to Anna and pulled her from Helena. "Let's not start this again, okay?" he asked, keeping a grip on her arm.

"Again?" Oliver asked.

"Bitch tried to kill me when she was working with Stranger," Helena explained. "The two were great as a couple but not so mush partners in crime. Her job was to kill me but, well, I'm here so obviously that didn't work out. Then I tried to kill her and it just kept going like that until she decided she'd switched to the good guys. Now she can't stand to have me on the same side because she never had the chance to get even. Well, that, and I tried to kill her boyfriend."

That fueled Anna's anger and Victor sensed it. He tightened his grip and shook his head at her. "_Ex_-boyfriend" Anna clarified, through gritted teeth. Victor shook his head and walked back to Drake. Batgirl stepped in between Helena and Anna, causing Helena to narrow her eyes. Anna couldn't stand being in the same room as Helena, she feared she would try to kill her if she stayed a second longer, so she walked around them and outside the factory.

She stood a few feet from the building when Oliver came out to stand beside her. She refrained from looking at him. "So this is what you do," he said. "These are your allies. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Some things are better left unknown" she said, glancing at him briefly.

"Like the fact that you were shot? Anna, how could you not tell me you'd been hurt? Or that you were the mysterious Domino that came to me for help?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, okay?" she said, frustratedly, turning toward him. "I'm sorry…I just…" she shook her head at herself and turned, walking to her motorcycle and sliding on. She started it, spun the back wheel, and sped down the street.


	22. Episode 22: Regroup, Remember, Recharge

_**Episode 22: Regroup, Remember, Recharge **_

Anna couldn't hear anything outside of her ear buds, which blasted music as loud as possible—more specifically Stronger by Kanye West Featuring Daft Punk. Though, she used the instrumental version because she wasn't a fan of rap. Or Kanye West. She listened to it three times whilst pounding the crap out of a defenseless punching bag.

Then the music switched to On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez and she changed her rhythm to match the music. That's how she trained. Blasting music and falling in time with it. The professionals would never agree it was a great way to practice but Anna couldn't do it better any other way.

She used a specific pattern of kicks and punches. She twisted only her hips, as if they were dislocated form her body, as she swung her leg up and landed a solid kick to it's middle. She vaulted backwards into a back-flip then lunged forward into a new series of kicks. The whole while, Anna thought of nothing but her anger toward her situation.

She hated her parents for birthing her. She hated the way her childhood was sick and twisted and caused a little girl to grow up way too soon. She hated the fact that she even knew how to do what she was doing. Her song changed to Vanity by Lady Gaga and again she changed her rhythm.

She couldn't remember when she made this playlist. But, she wondered, what she was drinking when she did? She then walked away from the bag and went to the large open gymnastic mat in the center of the empty gym. She tucked the ear bud chord away so it wouldn't swing in front of her, stretched her muscles a bit, and then rolled onto the balls of her feet.

Still listening to Vanity, she ran and vaulted forward. She flipped twice, twisted to flip backwards, and then sprung upwards into a short spin before landing perfectly. She remembered all of the gymnastic lessons she was put through when she was little. The corners of her mouth twitched up into a smile as she remembered one of her old routines that one her first place at her first competition.

She went to the door and grabbed her jacket, zipping it up and exiting the building. She turned up the music and started jogging up the sidewalk. She'd been outside of the house doing things since yesterday at eight AM. she didn't plan on going home just yet so she jogged to the Ice Skating Rink a few miles down the street. She didn't breath abnormally when she walked in the door.

She pulled out her ear buds and rented a pair of skates from the front desk. She went to the locker rooms and put her jacket and tennis shoes in a locker. She tied the laces on the rental skates and made her way out to the ice rink. Ice Skating was something she did when she grew bored of Gymnastics.

She won trophies and medals doing both activities but she loved figure skating a lot more. the ice was empty when she made onto the ice. The slippery feeling under her feet felt welcomingly familiar. She took a second to remember everything she'd learn and then set up the speakers to play Explosions by Ellie Goulding.

She always loved skating to that song. She went center rink and took her beginning stance. She started with simple sprint turns and little twists on her skates before attempting her actual routine. She picked it up quickly and lost herself in the memories of who she used to be. Her arms and legs acted naturally without her telling them what to do.

She spun and vaulted into a quad at the start of the chorus then landed perfectly with a leg out and arms outstretched. She then twisted into a ball on one leg, spinning around at lightning speed, in place. She moved upward, still spinning. She bowed her chest forward and hooked her fingers onto the heel of her free skate behind her head. She then dropped suddenly and smoothly and flawlessly skated up the rink.

She stopped and swung her leg up and across a few feet to land on the other leg and spin slowly, whilst evening her body to run parallel to the ice. She straightened and picked up speed moving down the rink again. she vaulted into a series of: triple toe, triple toe, double sow. She landed all three perfectly and ended her skate flawlessly at the center as she did when she began.

When she finished, her arms were outstretched to empty bleachers and a wide smile splayed across her face. She dropped her arms and spun around of her skates when she heard a slow clap echoing in the stadium. By the door to the ice was Oliver with a genuine smile on his face. She could tell he was surprised and she suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. "That was amazing" he said.

She bent in a half bow and he chuckled. "I try" she said. She slowly started over to the door and leaned forward onto the rink-wall beside him. He slid his hands into his pockets, everything suddenly awkward between them. "Where'd you learn to do that?" he asked. She could tell he was trying to smooth things out and make yesterday like it never happened. "My friend Richard taught me when I was fifteen" she said, keeping her tone casual.

"Friend huh?" he asked, his smile indicating he was teasing her.

"He was like a brother. My dad adopted him after his parents died when he was young so we grew up in the same house" she clarified.

"You're really good at it" he said. She slid over to the open door and stopped herself so she wouldn't keep sliding away. She pulled his hands out of his pockets and pulled him onto the ice, despite his protests. "It'll be fine" she assured, after getting him to the center.

"Aren't people supposed to, I don't know, use ice skates?" he asked, sarcastically smiling.

"I have ice skates" she said, visible trying not to laugh.

"Well how nice for you" he said, jokingly. She let a small laugh out then started past him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her. after a while of skating together, Oliver stayed at the door. Anna chuckled and shook her head as she skated back to the center. Anna had set up her iPod to work wirelessly with the speakers, so she played her playlist starting at Vanity.

She made up a routine as she went along, moving in time with the music. She vaulted up into a triple axel on the far left side of the rink and landed perfectly. She spun on one leg at lightning speed as she past the door, obviously showing off, and Oliver shook his head. She spun into a typical ballet spin in the center of the rink. Then she folded down into a ball a few inches from the ice still keeping up her fast pace.

She spun up and out to the right with a little hop, twisting her around to skate backwards into her next quad vertical. She landed it perfectly again and skated backwards into a snake like pattern before twisting around to skate forward again. she used some of her old dance moves, too, spicing up the routine.

She vaulted up into a combo of triple toe, quad vertical, triple toe when the song came to, "_Look at me (Watcha lookin' at?) Look at me (Watcha starin' at?) Look at me (Watcha lookin' at?) Look at me (Watcha starin' at?)_" she then stopped and twirled, turning on her side to spin with her leg outstretched parallel to the ice. When that part of the song ended she went back toward the middle for her finishing dance moves and final double vertical.

She landed and twisted to her ending hand-outstretch just as the song ended. She managed to face the door where Oliver stood when she landed, too. Oliver smiled brightly and clapped as he'd done before and Anna couldn't help feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to him waiting for her. she skated over and stopped right next to the door, inches from him, and wrapped her arms around his neck just before kissing him.

They drove home and made their way to the apartment in silence. Anna could feel the heat in the air between them as they entered the apartment. Oliver shut the door and Anna lurched forward, kissing him passionately. He kissed her back and they both seemed to have the same idea. They took off their jackets and shoes then Anna pulled his shirt over his head.

Oliver pushed her down onto the couch and climbed atop her. he pulled off her shirt and jeans with expert ease before moving to kiss up her stomach. She arched her back at the feeling of his tongue across her navel. He kissed her in an invisible line up her abdomen, between her breasts that were protruding out of her tight bra, and up her neck.

He savored every moan that came from her as he did so. She unbuckled his belt and together they pulled off his pants. she kissed him briefly before he pushed her back down by her shoulder. She fought to hide the animalistic grin creeping onto her lips. He discarded her bra and panties in seconds and then moved down between her legs. She arched her back with a gasp and gripped the couch at feeling his tongue inside her.

She felt a shockwave of ecstasy wash over her and she moaned loudly. Then before she could really feel his absence, he thrusted into her. she wrapped her legs around his waist and wound her arms around his neck. They met each other thrust for thrust with a speed and intensity neither had experienced before. A particularly rough thrust on his part caused his name to fall from her lips and he growled against her neck.

"You feel so good" he whispered, before biting gently at her neck.

"You're not bad yourself" she whispered back. he gripped her hips firmly, feeling himself reaching his end. She came first then he followed shortly after. They stayed there a minute before Oliver carried Anna up the stairs to the bedroom and they slipped under the blankets of their bed.


	23. Episode 23: The Proposal

_**Episode 23: The Proposal**_

Anna chuckled against Oliver's lips as he pushed her against the shower wall. The water ran behind them, all but forgotten. She pulled away enough to see the smile on his face. "You seem awfully interested," she said, causing him to chuckle. "What's the deal?" he kissed her for a long minute before answering. "I love you" he said, kissing her again.

_**On a Plane Five Hundred Miles from Starling City…**_

Talia shifted her weight as she sat in a plush chair. She leaned on her left elbow to look out the small airplane window. She sighed and rolled her eyes as she heard a familiar voice getting closer. Ra's sat in the chair across from her, shoving his phone into the inside pocket on his suit jacket.

"Cheer up, Talia," he said. "You'll get to see Anastasia soon." Talia inwardly screamed but outwardly continued looking out the window. "What will become of her?" Talia asked.

"We had this discussion before we boarded the plane" he said.

"But, father, what if she refuses to come home with us? What will you do to her then?" Talia asked, trying to hide her worry.

"Then she will be forcibly removed and then taken back with us. Then once we get her home we'll use Aquarius to tweak her a bit so she's more to the League's standards" he said. Talia noticed he almost sounded proud of himself for coming up with the plan.

Talia hated the thought of her father misusing her daughter. But she had no say in the matter. It was happening and all she could do is try to make it a little less painful. She straightened her face to erase any emotion and stood form the chair. "I think I'll retire" she said. She walked behind her chair and into a hall.

She slipped into her room and shut the door. She pulled open her suitcase and dug out one of the only pictures she had of Anna. She sat on her bed and gazed at it, trying to will her fate not to become a reality.

_**Anna and Oliver's Apartment…**_

Anna finished getting dressed and walked down the staircase. Oliver came to her from the couch and she raised an eyebrow questioningly upon seeing his mischievous smile. "I want to take you somewhere. Grab your jacket" he said. She chuckled and looked at him curiously as she swung on her jacket. She zipped it up and Oliver led the way out of the apartment.

He drove her to a familiar hotel and Anna raised her eyebrow again. It was the hotel her sister, Sophia, got married in. he got out of the car and motioned for her to follow. When they walked inside Oliver covered her eyes with his hands from behind. "Okay, what is going on?" she asked.

"Just humor me" he said, leading her somewhere unknown to her. They walked up who knows how many flights of stairs. They Anna heard him opened a door and she felt a cool breeze tugging at her hair. They shuffled forward several more feet before they stopped. He removed his hands from her eyes and she blinked a second to clear the purple spots from her vision.

Once she could see again she noticed the scene. It the roof the League used for the first attempt at her life, when the 'hood' first saved her life. Anna chuckled and smiled. "Why here?" she asked.

"Because I need to ask you something very, very important. And it can only be done here" he said, coming around to stand a few feet in front of her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little, velvet black box before kneeling in front of her. At first she thought he was joking but then she realized he was serious. "Oh, Olly-" she started.

He held up a finger and she went quiet. "Anna, I haven't known you for long. But the time I've spent with you has been the best time of my life. And I want to spend the rest of my life feeling this way with you. So I have to ask…will you marry me?" he asked.

"I don't think _no_ is an option" she said, feeling tears brim her eyes. He pulled the diamond ring form the box and slid it onto her left hand. He stood and enveloped her in a hug. Anna couldn't help crying she felt so happy. She'd never felt happier than she did right then. Knowing she would spend the rest of her life with Oliver. However long that may be…


	24. Episode 24: Blood Poison

**A/N**: Hey guys, sorry for taking so long to update. My whole family came down with bronchitis. But I'm back, baby!  
Enjoy!

_**Episode 24: Blood Poison**_

Anna swung to the top rung of the Salmon Ladder and stopped, letting her legs swing. "How do you do that?" Roy asked, from where he watched near the edge of the mat. Anna sighed and dropped to the floor a few feet from him. "Practice. Why don't you give it a go?" she asked, gesturing to the Ladder. He glanced at it and hesitantly shook his head. "Nah," he said. "Not really my thing."

"Then get your ass on the mat. I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna stand around all day and look pretty" she said, walking past him to the mat corner.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Roy asked, slowly walking to his side. "I could hurt you."

"Are you kidding me?" Anna asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Take your stance and give me what you've got." He shook his head but took his stance anyway. She made things simple at first, throwing easy punches and neglected kicks. But he didn't try and participate. "Roy, you either get your head in this or I swear to god I will hang you on the Salmon Ladder by your toes" Anna said.

He sighed ruefully and Anna started again. The first few punches were easily blocked and dodged but then Anna added in her advanced moves and they actually began fighting. She swung her leg up to hit his temple but he ducked and swept her other leg out from under her. Her back hit the mat but she quickly rebounded, vaulting up onto her feet easily.

They went round after round until both were sweating. They took their stances for yet a fifth round when Diggle and Oliver came down the stairs. Oliver already looked angry and, then when he noticed they had been sparring, it made him furious. He walked over to the mat with a scowl on his face and looked between Roy and Anna. "What did I say about sparring?" Oliver asked, glaring at Roy. "It's too dangerous for you. You could kill someone, Roy. And not only someone, but _Anna_."

"Sorry, won't happen again" Roy said, turning and walking toward the stairs.

"Oliver, what the hell is wrong with you?" Anna asked, angrily.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me is that Slade Wilson decided to pay my family a visit today, that's what," Oliver said. "And you know what's funny? Anna, you visited him last week. Coincidence?"

"Are you kidding me? Oliver, he was a friend a long time ago. I went to warn him about the League, that's all" she said. They stared at each other a minute before Anna walked around him, bumping his shoulder, and walked past Diggle up the stairs. Anna gave Diggle a 'what the hell?' look before exiting and Diggle just shook his head. He walked to Oliver's side and sighed. "Oliver, somehow, I don't think that was the way to go about things" he said. Oliver turned his scowl on Diggle before following after Anna.

Anna was on the phone standing on the sidewalk. She sighed. "WTF, Drake. You let him go to Oliver's house?" she asked.

"_Like I said, I couldn't really stop him. I have a broken arm and a cast to show for it if you don't believe me_" Drake said, audibly wincing twice.

"I believe you, okay? But we need to come up with something a little better than one man to stop a Wilson made of five" she said. Just then the Verdant door opened and Oliver walked out. Anna glanced back at him and then turned back to the road. "I'll call you later" she said, before ending the call.

She shoved her phone into her pocket and turned to Oliver, who now stood at her side. He took a deep breath and looked at her evenly. "How do you know Slade Wilson?" he asked, calmly. Anna scoffed. "He's Stranger, Oliver" Anna said, like he should have known it already. She watched as he put two and two together and the anger came back. "You mean he was your-"

"It was just sex; it wasn't anything special, alright?" Anna said. Oliver refrained from saying what came to mind and visibly held his anger at bay. He looked at her again and she crossed her arms. "You have a team…I have a team…we all need to work together to stop Slade and the League" he said. Anna pulled out her cell phone and dialed seven on her speed dial.

She put the phone to her ear and let it ring three times before pressing the date in on the numbers. It beeped twice and then went silent. "_What_?" a groggy Barracuda said.

"Get the team, get them to Verdant, and do it before I have to drag your ass outta bed" Anna said. She then promptly hung up and shoved her phone away. She turned to Oliver and looked at him silently for a minute. "This doesn't make things better between us," she said. "I'm going to wait on the sidewalk, alone." She turned around and walked a few yards down the sidewalk.

_**One Hour Later…**_

Barracuda, Drake, Helena, Batgirl, Victor, and Anna—all in their suits—stood by the computers. Felicity sat in her chair, Diggle and Roy stood a few feet to the left, and Oliver wore his hood a few feet in front of the group. Just then, Sarah came down the stairs in her black suit and stood next to Anna. Anna crossed her arms. "I don't care if you want to put him in some prison that'll hold him or whatever, but if you make one move to kill Slade I'm going to have to rethink this partnership deal" she said.

Oliver momentarily thought she meant the engagement, but then he realized she was talking about the teams working together. He straightened and began to speak when Felicity cut in. "Uh, guys? We have a problem. And by 'we' I mean Starling City" she said. Anna and Oliver both went to look over her shoulder. The screen displayed a video of an unmarked jet at Starling International Airport.

Then a man and a woman walked out and started inside. Anna checked the timestamp—twenty minutes ago. Anna motioned for her team to follow and hurried up the stairs. They all parked outside the main doors of the airport. People were flooding out and screaming. Anna sighed and turned off her bike. She stood and pulled out her gun. "B, Drake—you two take the left side door. Helena, Batgirl—take the right side door," just then Oliver and Diggle arrived causing Anna to pause before continuing. "Sarah, Diggle—secure the tarmac. Olly, you're with me, unless you have a problem with that."

Anna glanced at Oliver a second before urging people to move. Everyone split off and Anna hurried into the airport with Oliver on her heels. They made their way to the baggage claim, where people still fled and were shot down by a machine gun held by none other than Talia Al Ghul. Anna didn't bother hiding; she just walked up to a few feet from her mother and held her gun up in surrender.

Talia stopped her shooting tirade and eyed her daughter. "I've heard you can damage your ears by shooting without protection" Anna said, monotonously. Talia barley gave a small smile and a wink. "Already taken care of" she said. Anna half nodded and glanced back at Oliver. He raised an eyebrow and she widen her eyes momentarily. He nodded and backed out of the room.

Anna slid her gun back into her belt and ran forward to hug her mother. Talia reciprocated the hug quickly with a sound of relief. "Are you sure the shots killed the bugs?" Anna asked, pulling back. Talia nodded. "I'm sure of it" she said. Anna nodded and motioned for her to follow. She started out to the entrance of the airport with Talia following closely.

Suddenly Anna stopped walking and Talia in turn stopped as well, though she had no idea why they stopping. Anna slowly turned around to face her mother, her hand pulling away from a larger dart piercing her suit on her right side. Anna pulled it out and then collapsed. Talia rushed to her and took the dart. Just then Helena and Sarah came to stand a few feet beside them. Helena aimed her crossbow at Talia.

Talia slid them the dart. "It's poison. I swear I had no knowledge of this" she said. Sarah picked up the dart and examined it. "Ambercus" she said, bitterly.

"What the hell is _Ambercus_?" Helena asked.

"It's a blood poison. It shuts down all your organs one-by-one until it reaches your heart" Talia explained. Oliver then appeared at Anna's side and the rest of the team appeared behind him. "Is there a cure?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, but it's-" Sarah started.

"Impossible to get unless your Ra's," Talia interrupted. "There's a way to slow the poison's affect. We have to get her somewhere comfortable, because the cure is anything but." Oliver slide a hand under Anna's back and one under her legs and stood, taking her with him.


	25. Episode 25: The Cure Part One

_**Episode 25: The Cure—Part 1**_

Talia set her syringe on the nightstand at Anna's bedside and sighed as she walked to Oliver at the door. She glanced back at Anna before speaking. "She doesn't have more than two days" Talia said, grimly. Oliver stiffened upon hearing Anna's deadline. He gazed over at Anna a minute before turning and walking downstairs.

Anna's team and Diggle were waiting in the living room when he came down. They all stood at attention, waiting for orders. Oliver was surprised at this but it didn't make him hesitate to speak. "She has two days," he announced. "This means we only have _one_ to find the cure."

"Ra's has it," Batgirl said. "We can get it, can't we Helena?" she glanced mischievously at Helena and Helena smiled. "No problem" she agreed.

"We need to be smart about this" Oliver said.

"This is the only way to get the cure. You want it, don't you?" Helena asked.

"Of course I want it, but it matters how you get it" he said.

"The cure is an isolated cell in Miracuru hosts," Drake said. "It's called _Hiroshi_, and there are a few vials in our old safe. But it's booby trapped all to hell so good luck getting in."

"Show me the safe" Oliver said. Victor motioned for Oliver to follow as he started out of the apartment. When they arrived at the safe, it wasn't anything like what Oliver expected. It was truly booby trapped all to hell. Victor and Oliver stood and the entrance and they both stared, agape, into the safe.

There were lasers and even spikes that shot up out of the ground, ceiling, and both walls when passed incorrectly. Victor tried his code but it only shut off the spikes. The lasers still were working. He cursed under his breath. "I don't suppose you know how to maneuver through lasers?" Victor said, turning to Oliver.

"No" he replied.

"Can men do anything by themselves?" Batgirl asked, coming to stand on the other side of Victor. "Got news from Drake. The vials are on sub-level five." Victor sighed ruefully. Oliver raised an eyebrow and Batgirl elaborated. "Sub-level five takes a lot to get to," she explained. "Anna designed the security systems so you have to be like a super ninja in order to make it there alive."

_**At The Apartment…**_

Sophia sat next to Anna on the edge of the bed and took her sister's hand. "I told her not to get mixed up in hero stuff again" she said, sadly. Talia put a hand on Sophia's shoulder. "Neither you or I could have stopped her" she said.

"The whole point of leaving home was to get her out of all of that. And now look at her!" Sophia said. Sweat beaded Anna's forehead and she was extremely pale. Occasionally her eyelids would flutter and her breathing audibly hitched. It's not the worst she'd ever looked, but it was bad.

_**At The Vault…**_

Sub-level three was a nightmare. Sub-level four was worse. Sub-level five…Anna would have had to have been in a pretty bad mood to come up with the security measures used: Lasers, Metal Spikes that rose from the ground, Tranquilizer darts that flew from holes in the wall…it was like an Indiana Jones movie.

Except it wasn't a movie. It was real life, and in real life you can get hurt or even die. And this was no exception to the rule. Batgirl and Oliver were the only two that continued after Sub-Level three. They stood at the front of the long room that led to a single locker on the far wall.

Batgirl let out a light, quick breath and crossed her arms. "What was she thinking? This is ridiculous," she mumbled, eyeing the intense security. "Well, I guess the saying is ladies first, right?" she unclipped her cape from her shoulders and left it rumpled at the entrance.

She began twisting through the first phase: Lasers. She weaved her way to the second phase: Tranquilizer Darts. She nearly got hit with the first set and quickly rebounded to dodge the second. Once past the third and fourth set of Darts she made it to phase three: Metal Spikes.

Those were the easy part. Phase four was no ordinary phase. There were high tech heat-sensing lasers that formed holograms in the shape of people. The people would act as guards, fight like guards. They were programmed with Anna's fighting style, as well.

_**To Be Continued… **_


End file.
